Dylan Larkin had already been booed on his first shift, scored to turn those boos into cheers and taken a roughing penalty sticking up for a teammate by the time the second period ended on Tuesday. Then, on his way off the ice, Nick Cousins found the one subject guaranteed to get a reaction.
The Ottawa forward called out to him near the benches and traced the shape of a C on his own jersey, pointing at the blank space where Larkin’s captaincy used to be. The Detroit Red Wings stripped him of the title after his summer trade request.
Larkin, who had spent most of the evening absorbing everything thrown at him without much visible reaction, didn’t let this one go. He turned and yelled back, and the exchange carried on heatedly near the benches as the two teams separated.
What did Nick Cousins say to Dylan Larkin?
Whatever came out of his mouth hasn’t been made public, and Larkin wasn’t about to help with that afterwards, although it was pretty clear it had something to do with Larkin losing the ‘C’.
“You can only imagine what he was saying,” Larkin said, per NHL.com.
Sportsnet posted the footage, which shows the gesture clearly enough that the words are almost unnecessary. The Athletic described it as an all-time chirp.
This is more or less Cousins’ job description. He has built a 12-season career on being the most irritating man on the ice, and he picked his moment well, with Larkin already three days removed from being booed during player introductions at Detroit’s home opener while injured and unable to play.
READ MORE: Dylan Larkin’s response to being booed by his own fans
Those two home games also produced “sell the team” chants aimed at ownership, prompting Chris Ilitch to respond publicly on Monday that he understood the frustration. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs 10 straight seasons and still don’t have a permanent general manager.
Larkin got the better of the night itself. He finished with a goal and an assist, was named first star, and Detroit won 5-3 for its first victory of the season.
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