The next matchup between the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders might be a must-watch if you're a fan of physical hockey. Stars' forward Mikko Rantanen had a dangerous hit on Islanders' defenseman Alexander Romanov in their most recent game, which put the defender out long-term with an injury. As the referees were ejecting Rantanen from the game, New York's head coach, Patrick Roy, had some choice words for the Dallas forward.
Rantanen hasn't addressed the incident much in the media, but on Wednesday, ESPN's NHL writer Greg Wyshynski shared some of the forward's thoughts ahead of the matchup in March.
“Usually if something happens, if somebody gets pissed off, the media picks it up,” Rantanen told ESPN on Tuesday. “So I'm not really surprised it got so big.”
When asked about Roy's comments and whether he had any worries about potential retribution, Rantanen also played it cool.
“No, no, no,” he said. “I'm just going to play there, play hard, play hockey, and see what comes at me. But I'm a grown man. So I can stand up for myself.”
Rantanen doesn't often join in the physical side of the game. He is a massive power forward and can throw his body around, which he has been using more lately. However, he has just one career fight, which came this year against Jonathan Huberdeau, ironically in the game after the Islanders' incident, after another questionable hit.
As he did against Huberdeau, Mikko Rantanen will have to answer for his questionable hit against the Islanders. No one will be watching it closer than the Islanders' head coach.
