Steve Bernier was ejected from Game 6 of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings for boarding Rob Scuderi midway through the first period. The hit kept Scuderi down on the ice for some time. When he finally got up, there was blood on the ice.
The Kings reeled off three goals on the the subsequent five-minute major powerplay off the sticks of Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis. As a result, the Devils find themselves down 3-0 after the first period, and in serious jeopardy of losing the series.
The hit may have been in retaliation for this missed call on a Jarret Stoll hit on Stephen Gionta:
Bernier's reaction was much worse, however. Now, the Devils will have to play some incredibly inspired hockey to claw their way back into the game.
Read more about the New Jersey Devils at In Lou We Trust and head over to Jewels From The Crown for the Kings fan perspective.