Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina appeared to be injured when he was hit by Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland in the 3rd period of last night’s game at Little Caesars Arena.
Garland lunged himself backward into Zadina’s head, who appeared to put himself into a vulnerable position. Zadina was shaken up on the play that resulted in a brief skirmish on the ice and left the game. However, he’d return to the bench.
After the game, however, Zadina made it clear in no uncertain terms how he felt about Garland.
Filip Zadina calls Conor Garland a “Midget,” after his third period hit. pic.twitter.com/JfkHxE9XPN
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) October 17, 2021
From SportsNet:
“I’m ok… I was just reaching for the puck and he just reversed me I guess, you know, like the midget like he is,” Zadina said. “It’s pretty normal, you know, that he reversed hit because I don’t think he’s strong enough to battle me in the corner one-on-one.”
When asked about his role in the play, Garland shrugged it off, saying “it is what it is.”
“I kind of hit the brakes trying to create space. I know there’s a guy behind me,” Garland said. “He skated into my back… I grabbed the puck, I stopped and, like I said, I got a penalty for a hit to the head.
“I hope he’s doing well. I’ve taken plenty of hits to the head over my career. Some end up as nothing, some end up as something serious so I wish him nothing but the best.”
It is possible that Zadina could face discipline from the NHL for his word choice as “midget” is a slur against people living with dwarfism.
Stay tuned.
Yes, I think he deserves jail time for this. I just can’t believe it. So insensitive . The small people of this world will be in the crying rooms a long time after this horrible act !
Gee, let’s see if we can find a NICE term to insult someone. Is there a BOOK on this?
It was only a few years ago that the word “midget” was used to describe a youth category in Canadian hockey. To now begin punishing people for using the term is just silly.
Unfreakinbelievable. The irony in all of this is the word “Canuck” is a word used for a Canadian that is sometimes considered derogatory. You can’t make this stuff up.
People who are offended by a legitimate word like midget are just small-minded. Maybe he should have called him a dwarf.