Coyotes' Jason Zucker gave himself all of the blame for both his three-game suspension and individual performance on Thursday night.
Following the Arizona Coyotes’ 6-2 loss against the Calgary Flames, Jason Zucker took full accountability for his three-game suspension.
Thursday night marked Zucker’s first game back into the lineup.
The 31-year-old forward was suspended for boarding Florida Panthers’ Nick Cousins in a game on January 2.
After being asked if his three-game suspension played a factor in his individual performance, Zucker took no time to put all of the blame on himself.
“It’s my own fault,” Zucker said. “So I have to be better.”
Not only did Zucker take accountability for his suspension, but he also was upset by the way he played and made that very clear during his postgame press conference.
“Terrible,” Zucker said of how he performed. “I was awful. I let the guys down, I was terrible all night.”
The Coyotes signed Zucker this summer not only to provide an offensive spark, but also to be a leader and add a strong veteran presence to the locker room.
These sort of actions and words following a bad game is exactly what a leader is made to do.
Some may think that Zucker was just angry following this kind of loss but it was more than just that. He holds himself to a high standard, so he was clearly emotional about both letting the team down with his suspension and individual play after his short absence.
It’s a testament to Zucker’s character and the amount of care and pride that he has when representing the Coyotes.
Through 30 games, Zucker has six goals, six assists and 12 points.