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Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel expects the NHL to wade into the pre-game psychological showdown between one of his star players and the backup goalie of the St. Louis Blues.
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Jets forward Mark Scheifele likes to be the last player on the ice for the pre-game warmup, but Blues goalie Joel Hofer challenged him before Game 2 of their playoff series on Monday.
Hofer stayed on the ice long after the rest of his team had left, shooting pucks from his end down at the other, where Scheifele was doing the same, hoping to wait him out.
“I think the league is going to have something to say about this,” Arniel said on Tuesday. “I’m sure we’re going to hear about it. It affects when the Zamboni is coming out on the ice. That’s the stuff the league does not want.”
Pre-game shenanigans like this have a long history in the NHL, even sparking the occasional fight, with other players joining in from their dressing rooms.
Those days are long gone, but it seems the mind games aren’t.
Hofer is from Winnipeg and has a contingent of fans in the building every night, although he drew boos from the pro-Jets crowd for his antics on Monday.
The 24-year-old’s pre-game activities are likely to be the most involved he’ll be, with star Jordan Binnington the St. Louis starter.
The first two games were marked by a hit count that’s far above a typical regular-season game and a couple of melees near the end of Game 1. No actual fights, though.
“The animosity is already there,” Arniel said.
Game 3 isn’t until Thursday in St. Louis.
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca
X: @friesensunmedia
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