Jacob Trouba delivered a monstrous hit on Justin Barron during the New York Rangers’ 7-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, which led to some mixed emotions. In the third period, Trouba hit Barron in the upper chest area, as he was crushed down to the ice in pain. Barron left the game and ultimately did not return while Trouba just got a penalty for fighting after the incident but he did not receive any punishment for the hit itself. Trouba will reportedly not receive any supplemental discipline for his hit according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis was not happy with what transpired and felt that it was a dirty play. “When I saw the replay I found the principal point of contact was the head,” St. Louis said after the game. St. Louis may have his own opinions on Trouba’s intentions, but there are some that believe that this hit was indeed clean. “It was a devastating hit … devastating but clean,” TSN’s Darren Dreger said. [https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/darren-dreger-did-trouba-target-the-head-of-justin-barron-1.2194080] “That is how you can break down a lot of Jacob Trouba hits. You don’t like them because they’re explosive and can be damaging, and you never like to see a player like Justin Barron — any player for that matter — down and dazed on the play… Stan Fischler talks about Matt Rempe. “He did not target the head. You have to look at it and put both players in the sequence. It’s not just about how Jacob Trouba went through Justin Barron. Was Justin Barron responsible for a position of vulnerability? And that matters.” The 30-year-old is a notorious physical player who is not afraid to deliver major blows to his opponents. Through his NHL career, Trouba has been suspended twice and fined four times in response to his injurious checks.
