Hockey is back: Bruins defenseman gets revenge for dirty hits in preseason game
Bruins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon was quick to remind fans that hockey is back in Boston, after a physical and eventful preseason debut. Parker Wotherspoon is, in fact, a professional hockey…
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 30: Parker Wotherspoon #29 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of Game Five of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 30, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesBruins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon was quick to remind fans that hockey is back in Boston, after a physical and eventful preseason debut.
Parker Wotherspoon is, in fact, a professional hockey player.
That means the Boston Bruins defenseman ought to be ready to handle the physical elements of the National Hockey League, and perhaps even drop the gloves and fight when necessary. That figures to happen at some point. But in the first preseason game?!
Hockey is back, baby.
Wotherspoon was on the receiving end of a questionable hit by the Rangers' Brennan Othmann during the Bruins' 3-2 preseason loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday at TD Garden, but he ended up getting the proverbial last laugh. First, the hit:
Clearly a late blindside hit, and especially dirty considering it's a preseason game. Shoulder-to-shoulder doesn't matter if it's 40 feet away from the puck. Clearly should've been an interference penalty on Othmann, but the hit wasn't called.
Wotherspoon briefly left the game and was evaluated for a concussion, but passed the necessary tests and later returned. He told reporters after the game he just had the wind knocked out of him. Othmann continued to get physical with Wotherspoon, and then things finally boiled over at the end of the second period. Watch Wotherspoon exact his revenge, thoroughly:
Hockey!
"Two hits where I didn't see he was coming, it's pretty dirty, so, glad to respond that way," Wotherspoon said after the game. The defenseman acknowledged that he shouldn't have put an exclamation point on the fight by throwing Othmann's helmet, which resulted in an extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Oh, and here's a look at that:
One thing's for sure: the Bruins fans that decided to make the trip out to the Garden for a preseason game, in which most of their top forwards and defensemen didn't play, got their money's worth with all the extracurriculars.
The Bruins have Monday off, and will get back to preseason action on Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals. They return to the ice for training camp on Wednesday.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
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