Milan Lucic has addressed his recent run-in with Dalton Prout, calling the punch that laid him out a cheap shot.
The Bruins forward was one-punched by the Blue Jackets defenseman at the end of overtime ahead of Boston’s 4-3 shootout victory over Columbus on Friday.
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“It was the end of the game and I let him know that I wasn’t going to fight him,” Lucic recalled, according to Tim Rosenthal of Boston.com. “I wasn’t prepared and I let my guard down and that’s what happens when you let your guard down. I’ve been in over 100 fights and I never took a shot like that.
“There have been many times where I could’ve done the exact same thing, and I could’ve held off because he wouldn’t drop his gloves,” he continued, following th Bruins loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. “I find it to be gutless and that’s my thoughts on it.”
Lucic shoved Prout and appeared to engage him as time expired in overtime on Friday, prompting Prout to drop his glove before throwing a hard right-hand, which dropped Lucic.
For his part, Prout said it was on as soon as Lucic grabbed him, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
