It happened right at the end of the first period with the Maple Leafs holding a 1-0 lead, with the Leafs goal scored by Bunting. A scrum broke out just as the horn sounded to end the period after Leafs RW Mitchell Marner was shoved into the boards from behind by Lightning forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Bunting became entangled with Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cerelli when linesman Dan Kelly grabbed Bunting and ushered him towards the locker room.
When they reached the open door on the edge of the ice, Kelly shoved Bunting off the ice, with an extra shove for good measure as Bunting resisted. Bunting stood with a look of total shock and was caught by cameras exclaiming "What the f*** are you doing?"
To top things off, Bunting was assessed a minor penalty of two minutes for roughing, along with Bellemare.
We have seen NHL players plow into officials before, and NHL officials take down players by accident. This would be the first time we have seen an NHL official shove a player on purpose. Seemed a bit excessive as Bunting appeared to be cooperating.
Fortunately, Bunting and the Leafs had the last laugh as they went on to beat the Lightning 4-1. The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak for the Lightning, who are 5 points behind the Leafs for second in the NHL Atlantic Division.
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.
