Jacob Trouba has received plenty of criticism from hockey fans this postseason for his heavy hits that have resulted in injuries, which many have claimed to be dirty hits.
The latest hit game in game seven on Monday night, when Trouba hit Seth Jarvis up high midway through the first period, resulting in Carolina being whistled for a too many men on the ice penalty as Jarvis struggled to get to the Hurricanes bench. New York scored on the ensuing power play to take a 2-0 lead.
Jarvis never returned to the game, and neither did Sidney Crosby when Trouba hit the Penguins star in game five with New York down 2-0. Trouba also laid a heavy hit on Max Domi, which many called dirty and assumed was retaliation for Domi's hit to the back of Ryan Lindgren in the waning seconds of game three.
While many have called Trouba dirty for his playoff hits, his head coach sees nothing more than a clean player who always brings the intensity when needed.
"Scott Stevens comes up for me all the time," Gerard Gallant said, referencing the notoriously hard hitting Devils defenseman. "When you're on the ice, you have to keep your head up."
Just because Trouba's hits are hard, Gallant says they've been clean, and are never done with any intent other than to make an impact on the ice.
"Jacob is a clean hockey player," Gallant said. "He plays a hard game. A good, honest game. He's an old school guy. He comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face and he's working hard. He goes out there and does his job.
"He's not trying to hurt people out there. He just plays a heavy game."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say 'Play W-F-A-N')
