When Alex Burrows tried to take a chunk out of Patrice Bergeron's finger on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the focus immediately turned to what kind of punishment he'd face. This being the playoffs -- and the Stanley Cup Finals, no less -- many wondered whether the NHL would take the drastic step and suspend him for at least a game. There's no arguing the incident was dirty and stupid, but was it enough to merit a forced benching?
According to a report on Thursday, Burrows escaped relatively unscathed, and will not face suspension for the biting incident. ESPN's Pierre LeBrun tweeted a simple statement saying he heard Burrows would face no suspension. Shortly thereafter, Mike Murphy released a statement which can only be described as comical.
Mike Murphy: "I can find no conclusive evidence that Alex Burrows intentionally bit the finger of Patrice Bergeron.
While Burrows escaped suspension, there's little doubt he'll receive some kind of punishment, likely in the form of a fine, for the embarrassing incident. On the plus side, now we can all get back to hockey, and act like this playground behavior never happened. Or you can watch the video again. Your choice.
For the latest on Game 1, stay with our Stanley Cup Finals StoryStream. For more on the Canucks, be sure to check out Nucks Misconduct. For more on the Bruins, head over to Stanley Cup of Chowder.