Corey Perry kicks Jimmy Howard in the junk – Twice

Corey Perry has a bit of a bad reputation around the NHL for questionable hits and dirty plays after the whistle. In Game 5 between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, Perry was given a two-minute penalty for interfering with goaltender Jimmy Howard. Perry certainly earned his two minutes, kicking Howard in a sensitive area. Twice. 

You could make a case that the first kick, seen above, was caused by Perry being forced back into Howard by Jonathan Ericsson. The video below might disprove your argument as Perry added a second kick (around the 0:08 mark) without any assistance from the opposing defensemen. 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0hIwgpMfa58?rel=0

One instance might be an accident. The other is clearly a dirty play after the whistle. There's no excusing Perry's actions here. He knows exactly what he did, yet he shakes his head in the penalty box as if mystified by the penalty call. The addition of the second kick makes the first kick look more intentional than accidental.

It's extremely disappointing to see a player as talented as Perry resort to such nonsense. Some may tie Perry's "outburst" to his offensive struggles, but no player should resort to this type of play even if things are going poorly.

(H/T Reddit Hockey)

About David Rogers

Editor for The Comeback and Contributing Editor for Awful Announcing. Lover of hockey, soccer and all things pop culture.

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