The New York Rangers’ Jacob Trouba and his swinging of the stick, resembling a baseball bat, against the Bruins’ Trent Frederic have been the talk of the NHL for the last couple of days.
The violent incident occurred in a game last week, shocking fans. The fact that Trouba wasn’t suspended has left fans outraged.
Trouba was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, but fans believe he deserved a suspension as well.
Looking at the replay, it seemed like a violent act with the intent to injure from Trouba. However, many have claimed it was accidental. Trouba hasn’t discussed the situation or what led him to swing his stick at Frederic.
On Monday, Trouba broke his silence, reiterating that it was an accident.
“It was an accident. Frederic and I were both surprised, but it can’t happen. I have to control my posture and stick. I deserved the fine,” he told the NY Post’s Larry Brooks.
To Arthur Staple of The Athletic, Trouba said, ‘It can’t happen.’
“Saw the video of it, and it didn’t look good… Gotta control my stick better. Take the fine and move on.”
Trouba also revealed his and Frederic’s interaction after the incident, casting it in a friendlier light.
“I mean, it was obviously 100 percent accidental. At the time, I was kind of shocked that it happened. I think Frederic was a little surprised too. He was like, ‘Actually, that just happened?’ And I was like, ‘Sorry, my bad.’”
It’s not often that Trouba gets support from fans of other teams, but he’s received praise for his responses about the Frederic incident.
“Respectable answer tbh,” one said.
“I hate Trouba, but gotta respect his response, owning up to it. He should’ve gotten more, but not 10+ games like some people are saying,” another said.
“Solid answer. I came here to tar and feather Trouba, but now I don’t know what to do with this pitchfork,” a third added.
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