Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman responded to Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti accusing him of hitting him in retaliation, denying the sneakiness of his action.
The 29-year-old American is starting to make enemies on the Manitoba team. On Sunday, he appeared to intentionally hit his rival in the face during a faceoff. Perfetti later told the media that Hartman told him it was in retaliation for Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon double-checking Wild star Kirill Kaprizov the previous day.
• Also read: NHL: Ryan Hartman has reportedly admitted to intentionally injuring a Jets player
• Also read: All-Star Game: Here are five players who could win the fans' favor
“I’m trying to be better at faceoffs. The kid comes in and his head is really low and I'm trying to be physical with the puck and with him. Think about what you want,” Hartman told The Athletic on Thursday.
During that meeting, Perfetti wore a microphone and assured that the Wild player's comments had been recorded. Hartman denied telling him that he intentionally hurt him, especially since he knew about the microphone.
“It’s on the board. [dans notre vestiaire] He explained that he was wearing a microphone. I knew he would be wearing a microphone the whole game. He comes up to me several times and asks me if I did that on purpose. And in the end I just told him, 'I wouldn't say it wasn't intentional.'”
“I’m not sorry he got hit in the face on that play,” Hartman added. This is what happens with bullies. Like I said, I don't want to say it wasn't intentional. If I can say something that motivates them and pushes them to fight back, I won't apologize to the child or say it was an accident.”
It's hard to say who will have the final say on the matter, but we should expect some discussion between the two players when the Wild visit the Jets on February 20th.