Steve Ott is a bully on the ice, but that’s about all he has been in the playoff series between the Wild and Blues.
Check out what Ott did in the closing moments of Minnesota’s dominating 3-0 Game 3 victory Monday night in St. Paul.
Ott cross-checked Marco Scandella before tackling Jared Spurgeon to the ice. Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk said Ott was scratching at Spurgeon’s face while pinning him to the ice.
“He’s scratching at Spurgy’s face,” Dubnyk said. “He’s on the ice with his glove in his face and I could see his fingers moving, he’s pulling at his mouth and his nose and eyes. I don’t want our guy to end up hurt with his eyes or whatever. And the ref was standing there, so I just told him to grab, to get his hand. I could see his hand scratching at his face, so I just don’t want Spurgy to get hurt and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what he was trying to do.”
For a second game in a row Ott was given a 10-minute misconduct, but here’s no indication he’ll be suspended for Game 4.
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/590315621352636416
Jim Souhan ripped Ott in the Star Tribune, saying, “He’s not a hockey player; he’s a rodeo clown.”
“(We’ll) just let him be a non-factor out there,” Wild forward Charlie Coyle said, according to 1500 ESPN. “That’s Ott. That’s his game. That’s what he has to do. We don’t focus on that. We don’t pay attention to it. He doesn’t do much out there.”
The Wild are simply laughing off Ott’s antics – literally. Watch Matt Dumba laugh in Ott’s face after the “rodeo clown” whiffed on a check in front of the Wild bench.
For those asking, this might be my new fav GIF –> "Steve Ott Whiffs Check & Matt Dumba Laughs At Him" https://t.co/whKV6IFaA6
— Aj Mansour (@AjKFAN) April 21, 2015
Steve Ott's night: 12 penalty minutes, 0 points, 1 loss.
— Tyler Mason (@tylermason21) April 21, 2015
If Ott is trying to get in his opponents’ heads, it’s clearly not working. The Blues are down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series and Game 4 is in St. Paul Wednesday night. Minnesota could very well be headed back to St. Louis one win away from a series victory.
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/589527386703716353
Same guy?? Steve Ott and Steve the pirate? #samename pic.twitter.com/qU4v2IqTpQ
— Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13) April 18, 2015
