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Video: NHL Investigating Questionable Hit That Led to Brawl

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Evander Kane has spent 149 minutes in the penalty box this season, which leads all NHL players.

The San Jose Sharks left winger can thank Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins for 10 of those minutes.

Chara delivered a shoulder to Kane during a game Tuesday night at TD Garden, which led to a fight and a game misconduct for Kane.

Kane is no small man at 6 feet, 2 inches and 210 pounds, but Chara towers over him and pretty much everyone else at 6 feet, 9 inches and 250 pounds.

Thus, Chara’s shoulder is about even height with most players’ heads, and the Bruins captain made no effort to prevent his shoulder from running right into Kane’s face.

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As soon as Kane got up from the ice, he went after Chara. But he might have soon regretted that move as Chara had the clear size advantage — and used it.

Kane first threw Chara to the ice and got some shots into his back. But once Chara got back up to his feet, the fight was a mismatch and Kane went in defense mode to prevent further damage.

Do you think Chara's hit deserves further league discipline?

Chara knocked off Kane’s helmet and threw in a couple of more shots before the referees broke it up.

The 41-year-old defenseman was hit with an elbowing minor for the initial hit, while Kane received the game misconduct penalty.

After the game, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported the NHL would be looking into Chara’s initial hit against Kane to determine if further action is necessary.

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Kane certainly doesn’t need NHL Player Safety to tell him if it was a dirty play or not. After the game, he described the hit as a “classic headshot.”

“It was a hit right to my face, head, whatever you want to call it,” Kane said. “Clearly I get up and look at the ref who’s watching from the corner, and he’s standing there with both arms down and I’m absolutely stunned. … I’m not going to sit there and take a direct shot right to the head.

“I watched the replay, it looks like he elevates his shoulder into my head. I know he’s a big boy. We’ve seen it throughout the league, looks exactly the same to me. That’s a classic headshot.”

Coincidentally or not, Kane posted a “Bird Box” gif on social media Wednesday, seemingly implying that the referees’ visual perception was on par with Sandra Bullock’s blindfolded character.

This game, which Boston won 4-1, marked the final meeting of the season between the Bruins and Sharks unless both meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. That is certainly a possibility as both teams are in second place in their respective divisions.

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Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009.
Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009 and previously worked for ESPN, CBS and STATS Inc. A native of Louisiana, Ross now resides in Houston.
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