Torey Krug loses helmet, nails Blues forward Robert Thomas anyway
May 27, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (18) takes a hit from Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (47) during the third period in game one of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
BOSTON — Torey Krug had himself a classic Boston shift.
Engaged in a full-on wrestling match with Blues forward David Perron in front of the Black and Gold’s net (a match that saw the 5-foot-9 Krug lose his helmet), Krug got up and pushed himself into the St. Louis zone on what felt like anger alone. Krug then quickly set his sights on the Blues’ Robert Thomas, and absolutely decked the Blues rookie with a huge hit.
And in case that wasn’t enough to get your blood pumping, Krug made sure to end the shift with some good ole’ fashioned crap-talk thrown Jordan Binnington’s way.
…They’re already building the statue.
“That gave me some goosebumps,” David Backes said of Krug’s hit on Thomas. “He doesn’t have a helmet on, but he goes right up the ice and lays a big hit. He thinks he’s playing thirty, forty years ago.
“I think that was Torey Krug establishing himself in this series. And that was from my perspective a big boost.”
The most Bruins sequence of all time
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“You don’t want to mess with that guy,” Connor Clifton said of Krug. “Don’t make that guy mad.”
“[Krug]’s the type of guy that never gives up,” said Tuukka Rask. “I saw him battle in front of the net and I just wanted to tell him to get out of there during the rush, you know, but it’s – you’re playing in the Finals so there’s going to be battles all over the ice – and I think he had no helmet on so he wanted to make sure he made the highlights to make that hit.”
Krug, meanwhile, simplified the hit down to what it was: momentum for the B’s in the third period of a 4-2 Game 1 win.
“It’s part of the game,” Krug said of his shot on Thomas. “And momentum swings give your team boosts of energy. I don’t know what they were feeling on their bench, but if it pushes them back and catches them off-guard then great for our team. But I think it gave our team energy and that’s all you’re trying to do out there.
“Just try to make little plays throughout the game that push your team in the right direction and that was one of them.”
