Manson was assessed a five-minute major penalty in the first period of Game 4 after appearing to butt-end Minnesota Wild forward Michael McCarron as the two were tangled on the ice, but had the penalty reduced to a double minor upon review.
Per NHL rule No. 58, butt-ending an opponent results in a major penalty and game misconduct — so, why did Manson only receive four minutes?
Rule 58.2 stipulates that “A double minor penalty shall be imposed on a player who attempts to butt-end an opponent,” meaning a major penalty will only be assessed if the stick makes contact with the opponent.
After a lengthy review, it appeared the officials could not determine conclusively if Manson’s stick made contact with McCarron, thus his major penalty was reduced to a double minor.
McCarron did not mince words when voicing his displeasure over the reduced penalty in an interview with ESPN’s P.K. Subban during the first intermission.
“You’ve played against Josh, he’s a dirty player,” McCarron said. “He’s always been. Surprised he got away with only a four-minute (penalty). I’m happy he’s still in the game.”
The Wild scored on the ensuing power play, but went on to lose 5-2 and now trail 3-1 in the series.
As for Manson’s part in the play, the Avalanche defenceman said after the win that the butt-end wasn’t intentional, but admitted he was upset and had some bad intentions once the two hit the ice.
“He hits me, but then he lands on me. I didn’t really like that. …,” Manson said, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. “I butt ended him. Was that on purpose? Was that my intention? Absolutely not. … Did I want to punch him in the head? I did want to punch him in the head.”
And what did Manson think about McCarron calling him a dirty player?
“That’s fine. If he wants to call me a dirty player he can look at my history,” Manson said. “It’s been 13 years and I haven’t been suspended yet, so obviously I’m not that dirty. … Was that the cleanest play? No. Was it purposeful? No.”