Kevin Bieksa Publicly Calls An NHL Player A "Rat" On Live Tv
Former NHL player Kevin Bieksa, typically a composed Hockey Night in Canada panelist, took an unexpected turn on Saturday night, directing a scathing tirade at Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins.
Bieksa, known for his measured commentary, labeled Cousins a"rat,"
expressing frustration with the player's disregard for the well-being of opponents on the ice.During his impassioned critique on Hockey Night in Canada, Bieksa highlighted Cousins' pattern of questionable plays, including kneeing, head hits, and checking from behind. Breaking from his usual demeanor, Bieksa emphasized that addressing this trend was necessary, as it was becoming a defining characteristic of Cousins' playing style.
Quoting Bieksa,
"What people don't wanna watch and see is kneeing, hitting a guy's head into the boards, ramming a guy from behind, and that is a common theme for [Nick Cousins]. I have never done this before but I have to do it because this is a trend with this player."
The critique didn't stop at on-ice actions; Bieksa also questioned Cousins' manhood, pointing out his reluctance to engage in physical confrontations after violating what Bieksa referred to as "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," said Bieksa with disgust. "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."
As Bieksa expressed disdain for Cousins' repeated actions, he called for intervention either from within the Panthers organization or the NHL itself. Bieksa firmly believed that someone needed to step in and halt Cousins' pattern of controversial hits.
In a final, unapologetic statement, Bieksa suggested that the Department of Player Safety should intervene, describing Cousins' plays as
"crappy hits"
and reinforcing his characterization of the player as a "rat."
The intensity of Bieksa's words underscored his strong disapproval of Nick Cousins' on-ice conduct.
NHL players in this story
Nick Cousins
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January 7 | 5098 answers Kevin Bieksa Publicly Calls An NHL Player A "Rat" On Live Tv Do you think Bieksa went to far with this? | ||
| Yes | 636 | 12.5 % |
| No | 4462 | 87.5 % |
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