TORONTO — Aaron Ekblad defended his headshot on Brandon Hagel Wednesday after completing his two-game suspension for elbowing the Tampa Bay Lightning star.
“Going down the wall there, I’m trying to make a hit every single time I do that. I do that all season. I was looking for his chest, and I caught him in the chin, and that’s unfortunate,” Ekblad said after the Florida Panthers‘ morning skate at Scotiabank Arena.
“But it’s not my intention. I’m never out to (hurt) anybody on the ice, and it’s unfortunate the way that the outcome happened. But it is what it is.”
Ekblad went unpenalized on the Game 4 play that eliminated Hagel from the first round with a head injury. He later scored a key goal in Florida’s comeback win and was suspended for two games for elbowing Hagel in the head.
The rugged defenceman was forced to sit out Florida’s Game 1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday but returns to action Wednesday.
Most believed the elbow on Hagel to be retribution for Hagel’s own suspension-earning high hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov earlier in the series.
Hagel gave some impassioned comments at the Lightning’s final press conference regarding Ekblad’s intent to injure.
“I’m pretty sure he has head problems himself. He’s had a few concussions,” Hagel said. “So, I would think you would want to, I don’t know, just purposely going for someone’s head is at bad as it gets.’’
“Reasonable response,” Ekblad said of Hagel. “That’s how he feels, and we move on.”
Did Ekblad reach out to Hagel after the incident and attempt to clear the air?
“I’m not going to talk about any comments I’ve had with Hagel,” Ekblad said.
Ekblad also missed the first two games and the final 18 of the regular season after being suspended for violating the league and NHLPA’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a season,” Ekblad said. “It’s not the way I scripted it, but we’re here now, we’re in the playoffs, and it’s great opportunity to be playing hockey.”
Puck drop for Game 2 of the Maple Leafs-Panthers series is set for 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, with live coverage available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
