Its name sounds simplistic – the code. But in hockey circles, the code is far from simple.
Baseball is famous for its unwritten rules. Hockey too has its share of unwritten rules, but one of the most prominent ones is that players need to stand up and face the metaphorical music if they do something dangerous on the ice, either within or outside of the game’s written rules.
If that action injures an opponent or could have done so, someone is going to be out there looking for retribution, whether it comes during that game or one in the future. Hockey players are famous for having long memories.
When the Predators and Wild played a New Year’s Eve game in Minnesota, Predators forward Zach L’Heureux was ejected from the game early in the second period for slew footing Wild captain Jared Spurgeon.
L’Heureux was assessed a match penalty for the offense, which is called when a player kicks the skates out from an opponent from behind. When L’Heureux did so, Spurgeon went awkwardly into the end boards and Minnesota announced that he would be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Immediately after the play, former Predator Yakov Trenin gave L’Heureux a few punches, but L’Heureux did not engage him in a fight. Trenin was assessed a minor penalty for roughing on the play. The NHL suspended L’Heureux for three games for the slew foot.
L’Heureux and the Predators contend that the play was admittedly reckless, but not intentional and L’Heureux reached out to Spurgeon to apologize soon after the game. L’Heureux has multiple suspensions on his resume from his junior and AHL days, but this was his first NHL suspension.
Leading up to the next meeting between the teams, a Jan. 18 matchup at Bridgestone Arena, everyone knew that there were going to be fireworks. Earlier in the week before the game, Wild heavyweight Marcus Foligno told The Athletic:
“When you see a guy cheap shotted, that stuff needs to be answered for. The L’Heureux thing is blatant, trying to hurt a guy. They’ve got a lot of guys on Nashville that understand the code, and the young kid doesn’t understand. It’s frustrating. There will be a price to pay for that game. I’m sure he’ll have to answer to someone.”
No time like the present
L’Heureux first stepped onto the Bridgestone Arena ice at 1:48 of the first period. Six seconds later, he was fighting with Trenin. He knew it was coming. The Predators coaching staff talked to him, and veteran pugilists Luke Schenn and Michael McCarron did, as well. That pair would be happy to stand up for their teammate, if need be, but all involved knew that nothing would be solved until L’Heureux dropped the gloves. He did just that, and with Trenin who leans more toward a heavyweight than the smaller L’Heureux.
“I just wanted to get it out of the way,” L’Heureux says. “I kind of had a feeling something was going to happen.”
Trenin pummeled L’Heureux in the scrap, but Nashville’s rookie forward honored the code and did what was expected. In doing so, he gained the respect of his opponents, even the one with the harsh words for him earlier that week.
“Just fight, handle it the right way, the old school way,” Foligno says. “Kudos to that kid and good job by (Trenin).”
Just two seconds after the ensuing faceoff following the Trenin-L’Heureux scrap, Schenn and Foligno got into the fun and dropped the gloves for a fight of their own.
There was some comic relief later in the game as well. The game was Trenin’s first back at Bridgestone as an opponent following his trade last March, so the Predators honored him as they traditionally do for former players with a tribute video showing a montage of his time as a Predator. Usually, those videos are shown during the first media timeout of the first period, but with all of the truculence of the first, the video occurred during the second period.
A fan favorite during his time in gold, Trenin received a nice ovation from those in attendance and he stood up on the Wild bench and waved to the crowd in acknowledgment.
“I had a great relationship (with the fans),” Trenin said. “I was happy to see that.”
What a sport. A former Predator goes from punching a current one repeatedly in the face sticking up for a teammate and then an hour later he’s being saluted by the fans.