Pat Maroon shreds the refs for issuing 10-minute misconducts at the beginning of the Leafs/Bolts game

Last night's 6-2 victory for the Leafs over the two-time defending Cup champs was a big game and a huge two points in the standings for the Buds in an ultra-tight Atlantic Division race. Before puck drop, I don't think anyone was expecting a blowout one way or the other, but thanks to an Auston Matthews hat trick, the Leafs moved into sole possession of the #2 spot in the Atlantic Division.

At the beginning of the game, approximately six minutes in, the Leafs and Bolts' fourth lines were out for a matchup against one another, which, of course, led to some heavy chirping as the shift ended and even afterward from the benches, with Wayne Simmonds and Pat Maroon exchanging words from 15 feet apart. Much to the surprise of both players that early in the game, the officials issued 10-minute misconducts to both Simmonds and Maroon for the exchange.


Following the game, Maroon addressed the media in Tampa and lit up the officials for the decision to issue the pair of misconducts, given the fact that neither player actually did anything to warrant 10 minutes in the sin bin.



I can't recall another time in my lifetime that the referee had issued matching misconducts like that so early in the game. I can understand if the exchange happened late in the game after it was well out of reach, but to do it in the first 6 minutes of the game seems unnecessary.