Dalton Prout Boasts That He's Received Lots Of Thanks For Punching Milan Lucic
BOSTON (CBS) -- More than a week has passed since it happened, but Dalton Prout's one-punch knockdown of Milan Lucic remains a talking point in the NHL.
The incident, which took place in the waning seconds of overtime on Nov. 21, involved Lucic stepping up to Prout. The Blue Jackets defenseman interpreted Lucic's advance as an invitation to fight, and so Prout promptly delivered a heavy right hand to Lucic's face, knocking the Bruins' tough guy down to the ice.
Lucic took great offense to the punch, considering he never removed his gloves, and he called the move "gutless."
Prout, meanwhile, is apparently not feeling too badly about it.
The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline reported over the weekend that Prout claims he's been getting praise from all corners of North America for knocking Lucic to the ice.
"I got a lot of thank-yous from family, friends, fans, players. I got a lot from Montreal and some from Vancouver, but they came from all over," Prout said.
And the thanks apparently even came from the men in stripes.
"During warm-ups the in Philly," Prout explained, "an official came up to me just before the national anthem. He just said, 'Nice right hand.' That's the first time I've ever talked with an official other than arguing about a call."
Lucic, of course, hasn't made too many friends during his career with the Bruins. He's always played a bruising, punishing style of hockey, and his fighting prowess was impressive even when he was 19 and 20 years old, when he took on men with much more experience and handled himself well.
But in recent years, Lucic has come under fire for some actions that weren't looked upon too fondly by opponents. He barreled over goaltender Ryan Miller in November 2011, prompting Miller to call Lucic a "gutless piece of [excrement]." Last year, Lucic twice used his stick to poke opponents in the groin -- once on Danny Dekeyser in the playoffs and once on Alexei Emelin. Lucic referred to Emelin as a "chicken" when asked about the incident. And after the Bruins were eliminated by the Canadiens in Game 7, Lucic threatened Dale Weise and Emelin in the handshake line. Lucic was also harassed by fans while in his hometown of Vancouver last season.
So it's understandable that some folks around the league weren't exactly sad to see Lucic take a shot of perceived payback.
Whether Lucic will take his own opportunity to avenge the punch? We'll find out when the Bruins once again visit Columbus on Dec. 27.
(The two players did square up last season, and 49 percent of HockeyFights.com voters declared it to be a draw.)
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