One specific National Hockey League player seems to have incurred the wrath of former NHL player Kevin Bieksa.
During Saturday night’s segment, Bieksa unleashed a scathing critique directed at Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins, a departure from his typical demeanor as a Hockey Night in Canada panelist. Bieksa vehemently criticized Cousins, labeling him a “rat,” and admonishing the player for endangering the safety of his fellow competitors on the ice.
Bieksa’s impassioned commentary commenced by highlighting Cousins’ repeated instances of unsportsmanlike conduct: “What people don’t wanna watch and see is kneeing, hitting a player’s head into the boards, ramming a guy from behind and that is a common theme for [Nick Cousins]. I’ve never done this before, but it’s necessary because this is a consistent trend with this player.”
Not only did Bieksa censure Cousins for his reckless behavior on the ice, but he also questioned Cousins’ courage, noting that Cousins consistently avoids confrontation after disregarding “The Code”
“There’s no place in the game for this and what is the common theme in all of these? Him at the bottom of the pile in a turtle position,” expressed Bieksa with palpable revulsion. “This has been a common theme with this player… somebody in that organization or somebody that he respects has to sit down and say ‘Enough of this’ or the NHL has to come down and hammer this guy.”
Bieksa left no room for doubt regarding his feelings about Cousins and his playing style, delivering harsh and unequivocal remarks directed at the active NHL player.
Bieksa concluded, “Somebody needs to take a firm stance against these unacceptable hits from the department of justice because I detest them, and that behavior epitomizes a ‘rat’ to me. I regret having to say it.”