If Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel ever needs medical advice, St. Louis Blues counterpart Jim Montgomery appears to be the last person he would call.
Jets star Mark Scheifele left Wednesday’s Game 5 with an apparent injury, and many speculated that it happened on a heavy hit from Blues captain Brayden Schenn in the first period.
Montgomery, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Maine, saw things a little differently.
The Blues head coach insisted after the game that Scheifele was actually injured on a hit from Radek Faksa earlier in the first period.
“Let’s make it clear, (Scheifele) got hurt from the Faksa hit,” Montgomery told reporters post-game. “He played six minutes after the Schenn hit. He didn’t come back after he got rocked by Faksa.”
Arniel was asked about Montgomery’s assessment in his own press conference, and clearly thinks the St. Louis bench boss should stick to his day job.
“I didn’t know Monty got his medical degree, trying to say how our player got hurt,” the coach from Kingston, Ont., said. “He’s way off base. He should not make that comment.
“There’s some things that have been going on in this series. That was a repeat of what we’ve seen before. A player leaving his feet and then hitting a player in a very unprotected spot. Hitting him in the sense of almost blindsiding him. Not happy how the call was made. Two-minute minor. Not even looking at it (for a review) is what I was upset about. It is something we have talked to the league about for five games.”
Schenn got two minutes for roughing and two for interference on the play, but Winnipeg’s Brandon Tanev also was assessed a roughing penalty.
Prior to his departure from the game, Scheifele played 8:05. Arniel had no update on his status.
Despite the loss of one of their top forwards, the Jets took a 3-2 series lead with a convincing 5-3 win in Game 5.
If the war of words is any indication, Game 6 in St. Louis on Friday should be quite a treat.
