BHN Puck Links: Boston Bruins Frederic Says Ovie Spear ‘Didn’t Hurt’

Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic had a solid first full NHL season last year even if it ended with him largely sitting on the pine at the tail end of the season. He had skirmishes with PK Subban, and he threw down with Claude Lemieux’s kid in a battle with the New York Rangers while also scoring a few goals along the way, and the way is paved for him to be an important piece of the bottom-6 for the Black and Gold.

Frederic also got into it with Tom Wilson and the Washington Capitals, including an exchange with Alex Ovechkin where the Russian sniper speared the Bruins winger in the groin while tempers flared through a contentious Boston Bruins/Capitals game. Not to worry, though, as Frederic assured on the Cam & Strick podcast that he didn’t even feel the disrespectful spear meant to assault his family jewels.

“Sounds weird but it didn’t hurt,” Frederic said on the podcast. “No lie. Shock Doctor Cup.

“We played them five or six times at that point and he’s the best player,” Frederic continued. “Obviously, I’m going to hit him every chance I get. He didn’t like that. I think earlier in the game, I went to go hit him and he fell. He thought I like tripped him or something. I thought he was going to drop them on me (fists) or something. I didn’t know. So I dropped my gloves. I thought he was going to throw. I’m not going to get jumped by him. He might drop me on my knees.”

The Washington Capitals did end up lambasting the Boston Bruins rookie with some chirps on the ice that were wide-ranging, even if they weren’t quite as eloquent as Penguins forward Brandon Tanev ripping into Frederic last season.

“They had some good lines,” Frederic said laughing. “‘He’s got more goals than you’ve got shifts.’ I was like, ‘That’s probably right.’ No one chirped my red hair maybe because it’s not so red anymore. I make sure I put water in it before every game.”

Let’s hope Frederic has even more rough and rowdy stuff in mind next season for the Bruins where they will need that swagger with the toughness of both Kevan Miller and Nick Ritchie subtracted from the Black and Gold roster. Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*The Metro Division has teams loading up on tough guys to combat Tom Wilson, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are not one of them. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

*There are still plenty of questions lingering about the Boston Bruins that have been answered in this week’s Hagg Bag mailbag. (Boston Hockey Now)

*The Golden Knights need a revival, or maybe even an initial appearance more than a revival, of the player that the Flyers thought they were getting in Nolan Patrick. We’ll see if that actually happens. (Vegas Hockey Now)

*Bummer for Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom, who is out indefinitely after injuring his shoulder this summer. (Philly Hockey Now)

*Looking to buy a David Krejci jersey for the Czech team that he’s going to be playing for this season, complete with a rooster on the crest? Well, look no further.

*Steve Simmons wonders if the Florida Panthers have a scouting staff, and if they actually watched any Maple Leafs games last season after signing free agent Joe Thornton to a one-year contract. Ouch, babe. (Toronto Sun)

*For something completely different: It sounds like Pete Campbell is acting like his Mad Men character a bit these days while on other television shows. (Entertainment Tonight)