Bite worse than bark? Hedman cries foul on Shaw tussle
Biting is a problem not normally seen outside of kindergarten classrooms, but a chomp-fueled controversy hit Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday when Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman accused Chicago's Andrew Shaw of biting him.
The two players were part of a scrum in the first period after Hedman jabbed at Chicago's Patrick Kane along the endboards at the end of a play. Video review of the play is inconclusive as to a possible bite, as there is no clear shot of Shaw biting Hedman, but there are too many bodies in the way to be able to see much.
Hedman did complain immediately after the play, and he pulled his jersey up on the bench to seemingly look for bite marks.
"It felt like it," Hedman told the media when asked about the alleged bite. "I have a little bruise, so maybe."
There is precedence for biting in the Stanley Cup Finals, as Alex Burrows famously made a snack out of Patrice Bergeron's finger in the 2011 Cup Finals between the Bruins and Canucks. That play was much more obvious than the Shaw/Hedman incident, but Burrows was not suspended as the league ruled there was no conclusive evidence that Burrows intentionally bit Bergeron.
According to Pro Hockey Talk, the league is aware of Hedman's allegations against Shaw.
(h/t Pro Hockey Talk)
