- Josh Manson got a four-minute double minor for butt-ending Michael McCarron in the first period of Game 4
- McCarron told ESPN’s P.K. Subban that Manson is “a dirty player” who has “always been”
- Read below for video of the play, the full McCarron quote, and the goal it set up
Michael McCarron didn’t bother holding back.
Asked about a first-period butt-end from Josh Manson during his ESPN intermission interview with P.K. Subban, the Wild forward called the Avalanche defenseman “a dirty player” and said he was “happy he’s still in the game” in Game 4. Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News had the full quote:
The trouble started early. McCarron caught Manson with a heavy check along the boards, and as Manson went down he drove the butt of his stick up into McCarron’s ear.
Trevor Hanson and Jean Hebert reviewed the play for a five-minute major, then ruled a double minor under NHL Rule 58.5 for attempting to butt-end. The actual butt-end carries a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
Watch the video of the play that set McCarron off:
Minnesota made Colorado pay on the four-minute power play. Danila Yurov tipped a Brock Faber point shot past Mackenzie Blackwood later in the period to give the Wild a 1-0 lead heading into intermission.
Manson was making his series debut after missing the first three games with an injury, and his return came with the Department of Player Safety now sitting on a video clip to evaluate. The 34-year-old blueliner has a long reputation for playing on the edge, and McCarron clearly hasn’t forgotten any of it.
The Wild took Game 3 in dominant fashion to climb back into the series, and McCarron’s “happy he’s still in the game” line reads less like a fired-up quote and more like a warning shot. He and Manson are going to share the ice plenty over the rest of this round, and one of them is already keeping score.
