Here's an incredibly topical situation: seven minutes into the second period of Tuesday's tilt between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, Nick Foligno clipped Dion Phaneuf, getting low to duck a hit along the boards.
Phaneuf didn't like it; and while the referees assessed Foligno a two-minute minor for clipping, the Leafs captain opted to hold him accountable for it. Thus, a little over six minutes later, we got this exchange of blows (the clip is towards the end of the video).
Pretty standard fight, but there's a lot to talk about here.
First, any instance of clipping is now going to be followed by a discussion of supplemental discipline, so let's get into that: I don't expect it here. It was a pretty basic clip, but certainly not a malicious or predatory one, and with Dion Phaneuf barreling down on Foligno, I suspect claims of self-defense will carry a little more merit.
Second, is clipping on the rise or what? Prior to a couple weeks ago, it had become so rare that there were a number of people who had never even heard of it. It will be interesting to see if the penalty continues to be seen with a little more frequency, and if it does, if Sheriff Shanny will start dealing with it more harshly.
Third, you'll recall that, in Brian Burke's "shame on all of you, I had to waive Colton Orr" press conference, he expressed a concern that this was the first sign of the rat uprising. He described in detail a world in which the humans had been chased underground, and the free world had been taken over by a giant rodent named Ratigan that could only be stopped by a savvy mouse detective named Basil.
Some of that may not be true. Anyway.
For all that talk about rats taking over the game and there being no one to hold them accountable, Phaneuf sure dealt with this swiftly, no?
The Senators would go on to win the game, 3-2.