Michael McCarron Calls Josh Manson ‘Dirty,’ But Wild Have Bigger Problems Than A Butt-End

TL;DR

Michael McCarron criticized Josh Manson as 'dirty' after a controversial hit during Game 4 of the Wild vs. Avalanche series. The incident escalated when Manson butt-ended McCarron in the ear on the ice.

Key points

Michael McCarron criticized Josh Manson as 'dirty'
Manson received a heavy hit from McCarron
Manson retaliated by butt-ending McCarron
The incident occurred during Game 4 of the playoff series
Wild have larger issues to address beyond this altercation

Minnesota WildColorado AvalancheMichael McCarronJosh Manson

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In Game 4 of the second round matchup between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche, some controversy broke out.

Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson, who missed the first three games of the series with an injury, received a heavy hit by Michael McCarron in the first period.

McCarron blasted Manson and while Manson was going down, he brought McCarron down with him.

After the two were on the ice, Manson decided to ram the end of his stick into McCarron's ear.

After review, the NHL claimed that Manson attempted a butt-end on McCarron but did not successfully complete it.

NHL Rule 58.5 indicates a double minor is issued for an attempt to butt-end, and an actual butt-end would be a 5-minute major and a game misconduct.

"I'm not sure exactly what their options are when they make that call. I was just hoping that it didn't have to be a major because I didn't think like, he definitely hits him with a stick. And, you know, a little undiscipline there, but it didn't look to me like it was vicious enough to be like a five minute major and a game misconduct," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said. "So at that point, I was just kind of hoping for the best, and for Manson to stay in the game.

"I think they probably made the right call. He was able to do that, you know, they got the power-play goal out of it, and then we had to go to work and try to even the game up."

As for the Wild head coach?

"I didn't get an explanation, but I didn't ask either," John Hynes said. "You know, at that point in time, the call is made, you've got to be able to control what you can control, and at that point, it was completely out of my control. So, you know, the focus is on the game."