Many people were surprised that Jacob Trouba was doing relatively well with his stick behind Trent Frederic’s helmet, but the New York Rangers defenseman was the one who threw the first stone.
On Saturday, during the game against the Boston Bruins, the Blueshirts captain made an awkward gesture during a fight with Frederic. He was fined $5,000 while netizens called for an exemplary ban.
• Also read: Connor McDavid started to collect a lot of points again
• Also read: Devante Smith-Pelly returns to Washington on radio
• Also read: David Perron, the player the Red Wings desperately needed
Trouba explained his version of events on Monday, calling his actions “inexcusable.”
“This incident obviously cannot happen. It was 100% random. At the time I was shocked that this had happened. I immediately said, “I apologize. I had no intention of doing that. “I felt like my hand was squeezed and I was off balance, so I immediately apologized,” he said, according to journalist Vincent Z. Mercogliano of the website lohud .com in a press scrum.
“That was the end of it. Then I saw a video after the game and it wasn’t very good. This is inexcusable,” Trouba added.
If he seemed surprised in the sequence, Frederic didn’t make too much of it. He was also not injured after this contact, which could have been dangerous.
Not his type
Trouba, who has earned a reputation as one of the National League’s best tackles, is not one to push the envelope, he said. He has only been suspended once, in 2017, when he handed a double check to Mark Stone’s boss. The 29-year-old full-back was also fined for a beating three years ago.
He wants to learn lessons from this new mishap.
“I need to control my stance and my stick better. I’m glad he’s not hurt. I deserve the fine. I take it and move on. Learn from this experience and don’t let it happen again. “That’s not the player I want to be,” Trouba explained.
“Checking and stuff like that is my style of play,” the American continued. I don’t think they are malicious. I don’t care what people think about me. To be honest, I don’t really think about the opinions of people who don’t know me.