Montreal Canadiens Head Coach Martin St. Louis reacts to Jacob Trouba's controversial hit to Justin Barron

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Tom Banks
October 23, 2024 (6:55 PM)

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The NHL's Frozen Frenzy saw plenty of action, but after Jacob Trouba took out Montreal's Justin Barron, his Head Coach reacted to the dirty hit.

The NHL saw non-stop action all night on Tuesday, but perhaps the most talked about a point following all 32 teams being in action was the hit of Jacob Trouba, who took out Montreal's Justin Barron with a hit to the head. Shockingly, the New York Rangers captain was not handed additional punishment, even though Barron had to be helped off the ice after what many considered a dirty hit.

One person who agrees with that sentiment is Canadiens Head Coach Martin St. Louis, who reacted to the hit on Tuesday night.

«When I saw the replay I found the principal point of contact was the head,» St. Louis said after the game.

Like most fans, St. Louis pointed out the direct contact to the head from Trouba, who was not even penalized on the play, and while the Head Coach avoided any potential fines by not going further with his criticisms, it was easy to see that he was frustrated with the play. TSN's Darren Dreger disagreed, however, as he believed it was a clean hit from Trouba that led to a fight with Montreal's Mike Matheson.

«He did not target the head. You have to look at it and put both players in the sequence. It's not just about how Jacob Trouba went through Justin Barron. Was Justin Barron responsible for a position of vulnerability? And that matters.»

This isn't the first time that Trouba has done this, however, as he has quickly gained a reputation as one of the league's dirtiest players. Given St. Louis' reaction, don't expect this to be the last we hear of this, however, as these two teams meet again on November 30, with Arber Xhekaj likely to be in the lineup looking to exact revenge for his teammates.