Niko Mikkola’s end-of-game slapshot was far worse than the Ridly Greig incident

People are still up in arms after the incident that occurred at the end of the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens game this past Sunday.

As the final seconds ticked away, as the Montreal Canadiens were about to skate off to a big 4-2 win, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola decided to take a slap shot down the ice, almost hitting a few Habs players.

The reaction from the Habs on the ice was instant, as just about every guy wearing a Montreal sweater went after the Finnish blueliner. Nobody dropped the gloves, but it was clear the act wasn’t welcomed by the victorious team.

The NHL Department of Player Safety ended up fining Mikkola $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. Mikkola was given a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and a misconduct at the end of the game. It was the first time he had ever faced supplemental discipline in his NHL career.

On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Colby Cohen and Frank Seravalli explain what a bonehead Mikkola was.

Colby Cohen: It’s just a dickhead move, there’s absolutely no reason for this. You know it’s a two-goal difference. He’s frustrated. You can see the one defenseman who has to duck for cover to get out of the way. I don’t like this. This bothers me more than when Ridley Greig took the slap shot into the empty net against Toronto…I didn’t like this whatsoever… If that’s me and I’m [David] Savard, I’m skating down the ice and swinging my stick at Mikola. That’s how pissed I am.

Frank Seravalli: I’m with you, and I would say that if this had connected, I would have argued that it should have been a one-game suspension.

Colby: 100%. You can’t shoot a puck at a ref. It’s in the rule book – you’re not allowed to shoot a puck, purposely, at another player.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…