Joe Thornton spears Boris Katchouk in groin

Florida Panthers center Joe Thornton speared Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Boris Katchouk in the groin during Tuesday night's NHL game at the Amalie Arena. 

It happened with just under five minutes remaining in the first period with no score. As Thornton and several other players on both teams battled for the puck along the boards in front of the Panthers bench, Katchouk came along and checked Thornton in the back. Thornton responded by spearing Katchouk in the crotch.

 

Play was stopped as Katchouk went down in pain and stayed down for several seconds before slowly getting up and skating off the ice. Thornton received a two minute slashing penalty. He may have felt justified in retaliating, but as they say, it's always the second guy that gets caught. 

The Panthers beat the Lightning 4-1 and remain undefeated after three games.  The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions fell to 2-2 on the season. 

[SportsNet]

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About Michael James

Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.