Jake Neighbours didn't forget the hit from behind he took from Florida's Sam Bennett in December, felt he needed to send message for that on Thursday
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The agony throughout the day Thursday was bothering Jake Neighbours.
How could it not, when the St. Louis Blues forward, knowing there was preparation to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers but also knowing he had his own business to tend to.
Neighbours didn't forget the shot from behind he took from Panthers center Sam Bennett in a 2-1 overtime loss on Dec. 20 late in the third period. The Blues didn't like it, Neighbours certainly didn't like the hit from behind that went uncalled but shook Neighbours up.
Neighbours knew there would be a date for retribution.
It came on Thursday off the opening face-off.
But during the day, there was anxiety.
"It's worse when you think about it," Neighbours said. "It's obviously better when things happen spontaneously or the heat of the moment kind of thing. It's something I was thinking about since December. I think I've taken a lot of bad hits this year and a lot of guys have had to fight for me. I just felt it's time I took care of some of my own sh*t."
Neighbours knew the drill. He came to the rink and told linemate Brayden Schenn that if Bennett was in the starting lineup, which he felt the Florida center would be knowing he centers St. Louis native Matthew Tkachuk and Florida would likely insert him into the starting lineup.
If that were the case, he wanted to deal with it then and there. Neighbours stepped in, asked Bennett if he wanted to go and got the nod.
"It takes courage to go in there and do it, but it was something I wanted to deal with," Neighbours said. "I had a feeling they would start with Tkachuk's line in St. Louis so I figured we were going to be matching against them. I just said to 'Schenner,' I said, 'Hey, if we start against them, let me take the draw and I'm just going to ask him and try to get it over with right away.' Then we can focus on just playing. It's something I felt like I had to deal with and just wanted to get it done as quick as possible and get back to playing hockey."
Schenn knew what to do.
"He told me before that if they start that he wanted the face-off," Schenn said. "I let him have the face-off. He told me (why). He told me that an hour and a half before the game.
"It's the worst (thinking about it). You get anxiety. It's not fun fighting, but that's hockey, that's the business. Sometimes these things need to be taken care of. He obviously wasn't happy with the hit from Florida. Lots of guys I'm sure would have loved to step up for him, but he wanted to do it himself and, hey, credit goes to him. You need guys like that on your team.”
Two seconds after puck drop, the gloves were dropped. Bennett is a tough customer himself. The two exchanged rights, and in the end, Neighbours lost his footing and had to go to the locker room after hitting his head on the ice; he needed 11 stitches on the right side of the top of his forehead.
The 22-year-old most definitely gained respect from his teammates, and coach Jim Montgomery.
“Yeah love it,“ Montgomery said. “That's a guy defending himself from a hit that isn't part of the game the last time we played them. And that's a hard thing to do when you're thinking about it all day. That's a tough young man, and he went against a tough hockey player.
“He did not broach that with me, but he broached it with somebody else. Everyone respects anyone that looks to defend themselves in that kind of manner. Anybody that's a Blue and has been a blue for years, that's kind of the culture that's been here for a long time. ... Amazing respect. That's how it's looked upon.”
Schenn agreed.
“Respect to him,“ he said. “He's a guy that plays the game the right way, he's a gamer. You earn respect around the league taking care of your own business at times. He did from that game and credit goes to Sam Bennett for being surprised and saying yes right away and that's a guy that plays the game hard every night too. Two warriors going at it.”
Defenseman Colton Parayko also said Neighbours gets respect from the room.
"Tons. That's not an easy task. It's not an easy thing," Parayko said. "For where he's been at and a younger player in the league. To step up and go to the plate and do that, that's shows our team and our organization a lot about him and he's wanting to get us off on a good start for a home game. It's no secret we haven't had a the best home stretch here for a little bit. For him to do that just shows a lot of character. We have his back. It just shows how much he cares."
Neighbours said it’s his first fight off an opening draw, and he wasn't looking for any kind of attention, just wanted to send a message that what happened in December was not OK.
"He was a little shocked. I don't think he expected me to ask him," Neighbours said of Bennett. "He's obviously a pretty tough guy, one who obliges often to participate in things like that. I figured I would get a 'yes.'
"From your teammates, from other people around the league, it shows you can step in there and do it if need be. It's not something I'm trying to do all the time by any means. It's good to have a couple a year and just to have a little bit of respect."
