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Patrice Bergeron not happy with Alexandre Burrows’ bite 06.02.11 at 12:05 am ET
By DJ Bean

VANCOUVER — Wearing an adhesive bandage on his left index finger, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron confirmed following the team’s Game 1 loss to the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals that Vancouver winger Alexandre Burrows bit him at the end of the first period.

“Oh yeah, he did,” said Bergeron. “He cut me a little bit on my finger, but I’m not going to complain about it. I’ll let the league do their job, but he sure did [bite me].”

Bergeron and Burrows were each given roughing penalties for their tussle at the end of the period, though Bergeron’s was a minor and Burrows’ was a double-minor. Bergeron wanted further action to be taken against Burrows, though the refs did not see the play. Bergeron was uncharacteristically irate following the play.

“They didn’t see it, but we were speaking French and I [asked Burrows] why did he do that,” Bergeron said. “That lineseman speaks French, and he said that [Burrows'] explanation was that he put my finger in his mouth and he had to do it.”

[Note: To clarify, Bergeron said that it was Burrows, not the linesman, who said Burrows had no choice but to bite him. He later corrected his phrasing.]

The 25-year-old Bergeron noted that he did not want to start a “war of words,” but did note that he would never stoop to Burrows’ level.

Said Bergeron: “I don’t mind the rough play and the little scrums at the end, as long as it’s just pushing and shoving and all of that, but biting? I mean, come on.”

It is likely the league will review the incident, and, like Jarkko Ruutu in 2009, Burrows could be suspended. If he is, it would be a big loss, given that Burrows plays on Vancouver’s first line with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin.

“Before we’ve seen some suspensions from guys,” Bergeron said. “Ruutu did that and he got suspended, so we’ll see.”

Burrows denied the bite.

“He had his finger in my mouth but I don’t think I bit him,” he said. “You saw it, he put his hand up and he put his hand in my face and his finger got in my mouth, so that’s what happened.”

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  • Bay

    “[Burrows'] explanation was that he put my finger in his mouth and he had to do it.””

    Did Bergeron/the linesman say that wrong? Or is Burrows a bigger prat than he appears?

  • Phillip

    I believe Savard was saying something similar last year when he bit Carcillo’s finger as well as the fans. So it’s ok if you did it last year, but it’s not ok someone else do it to you this year. This is a direct quote of what he had to say

    “I don’t know. I don’t see how that is biting. Yeah, I mean, he embellishes stuff. Obviously, under the pile, you try to pull out my front teeth, so if that’s a bite then I don’t know what to say.”

    And here are what Bruins fans had to say about it.

    “Ok Carcillo so cross checking savard in the face is okay? Just shut your mouth your garbage”

    “However, perhaps I am off on this but if someone sticks their fingers in your mouth in a fight, biting those fingers is fair game.”

    “Carcillo is such a terd. He sticks his hand in Savard’s mouth and calls it a bite.”

    “FWIW I believe Carcillo when he says Savard bit him (he’s done it before). I also believe Savard when he says Carcillo put his fingers in his mouth. You put your fingers in a guys mouth, they’re fair game for a nibbling.”

    “The idea of Savard gnawing on Carcillo’s finger like a chicken wing cracks me up. Although I’m also a little nauseated on behalf of Savard — that’s one nasty chicken wing!”

    “Someone needs to make a ‘History will be made’ video of the biting incident. Caption “What if Carcillo….. wasn’t so ‘Finger Lickin’?”

    “you put your finger in a grown man’s mouth, you should expect to get bit.”

    “Stick your finger where it doesn’t belong and it’s going to get bit.”

    Source: http://www.hfboards.ca/showthread.php?t=772073

    What a typical Bruins’ fan base. A bunch of elementary school kids.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... MMe

    Suck my dick Phillip.

  • EdmontonShelley

    If you are going to put your hands in someones face then you might not want to complain about a bite, It wasnt as if he grabbed Bergeron’s hand and tried to take a finger off, it you have your ungloved hand in face and pushing and shoving things happen, so my advise is this, keep hands to yourself, if not the suck it up princess things happen.

  • http://macmillan_scott@hotmail.com scotch679

    roughing it up is one thing but biting? Burrows is a real class act. He’s a good poster child for the rest of the girls on the Canucks team

  • http://scotthoughts1.blogspot.com/ timmyt30
  • bruin4boston

    It appears that many commenting are new to the game of hockey (Phillip, Edmo Shelly, et al.). “Face washing” is a tradition in the sport. Usually a substitution for dropping the gloves, but yet sending a message. Rarely, if ever does a pro player see this as an opportunity to go cannibal. To suggest biting is an appropriate is asinine. The failure of the league to take action is absurd–maybe Murphy should be sent packing too.

  • T. Roy

    Did it hurt Patti?

  • T. Roy

    Lick my asssh0le MMe

  • leelee

    “T. Roy” and “Phillip” are real class acts. Their impressive use of the english language is amazing. When you don’t know any words with more than 2 syllables, I guess that’s what to expect. Slugs!

  • EdmontonShelley

    “bruin4boston Says:

    June 2nd, 2011 at 7:54 pm
    It appears that many commenting are new to the game of hockey (Phillip, Edmo Shelly, et al.). “Face washing” is a tradition in the sport. Usually a substitution for dropping the gloves, but yet sending a message. Rarely, if ever does a pro player see this as an opportunity to go cannibal. To suggest biting is an appropriate is asinine. The failure of the league to take action is absurd–maybe Murphy should be sent packing too.”

    Ok, check this video out on the link, see what former NHL player PJ Stock has to say about the bite, so not everyone is going to agree, but you can’t blame it on being new to the game of hockey, whats new is the scrums themselves, they use to either just fight or go away.

  • NucksSuck

    Bergeron was clearly bit like Jarkko Ruttu did to Andrew Peters and you guys shouldn’t be talking crap about him. Burrows should’ve been suspended he is lucky he got away with that and is the stupidest liar in the world. Who would believe that Bergeron accidentally put his finger in Burrows mouth? I was watching the game, and it looked like he grabbed Bergeron’s hand and put it in his mouth. What a dirty hockey player. I thought hockey was better than this. BRUINS4EVER!!!!

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