“It was a frustrating game because we were in the box a lot, to my dismay, and there’s a lot of whistles so we couldn’t get any flow going,” said St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery. That statement may sound like something the coach of a losing team would say. Yet, it couldn’t be further from reality. Instead, the NHL coach said this after his team got a 4-1 win over the Predators.
Yet, that statement was a telltale sign of how many viewed the officiating during the clash. The St. Louis Blues player’s frustration came to a boiling point in the final period, when forward Zack Bolduc couldn’t keep his cool. Watching Nashville’s Nick Blankenburg go in for a big hit on Robert Thomas only to trip and fall triggered Bolduc to immediately react with a cross-check.
Hitting a downed player with two cross-checks only earned Bolduc a 5-minute major and misconduct penalty. Yet, many who shared a similar sentiment about the officiating with Coach Montgomery didn’t find Bolduc at fault. So when the NHL’s Department of Player Safety slapped the forward with a $2,248.26 fine, they came to the player’s defense.
“Y’ll are a joke! Officiating was terrible in the game,” commented one fan. “Bad officiating leads to players having to protect themselves and teammates,” added the individual. The netizen’s comment echoed Jim Montgomery’s words regarding his team’s frustration. “I could sense frustration, especially from our forward group,” the coach added in a post-game interview.
St. Louis’ Zack Bolduc has been fined $2,248.26, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking against Nashville’s Nick Blankenburg.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 24, 2025
This story is developing…
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