Vigneault unloads on Julien, suggests Lundqvist's a better son than Marchand
The fallout from Friday's game between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers continues.
A day after Bruins head coach Claude Julien pointed out Henrik Lundqvist's acting history following an interference call on Brad Marchand, Rangers bench boss Alain Vigneault fired back.
"Well, (the Rangers' PR staff) filled me in a little bit on what was said after the game," Vigneault told reporters Saturday. "I mean it's a little disappointing. Obviously everybody saw the knee to the head. The comments on Hank were very inappropriate. The way Hank conducts himself, on the ice, away from the rink, off the ice, the example that he sets. Who would you rather have as a son, Henrik (Lundqvist) or Brad Marchand?"
In a bit of a slip, Vigneault initially said "Henrik Sedin," the Vancouver Canucks star with whom he lost to the Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. The Rangers soon clarified the head coach, of course, meant to say Lundqvist.
He added, "For (Julien) to say things like that about Hank, totally wrong, and probably Claude is getting a little older and needs to check his eyesight."
Compounding Vigneault's frustrations is the confirmation that Derek Stepan is out indefinitely with broken ribs following a late hit by Matt Beleskey, one that wasn't deemed worthy of supplemental discipline after a review by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Mark Jan. 11 on your calendars, as the Bruins are set to visit Madison Square Garden in what could be a volatile affair, both on and off the ice.