Wild Defenseman Bluntly Calls Avs’ Josh Manson a ‘Dirty Player’ After Cheap Shot

The Avalanche should consider themselves lucky that defenseman Josh Manson wasn’t issued a game misconduct during the first period of Game 4 against the Wild on Monday night. And it seems Wild defenseman Michael McCarron would agree with that sentiment.

After Manson was on the receiving end of a crushing hit from McCarron, the two got tangled up and Manson took a jab at McCarron’s face with the butt end of his stick. The play was initially called as a five-minute major, which likely would’ve resulted in a game misconduct for Manson, but officials reviewed it and ultimately deemed it only rose to the level of a double minor.

After the first period, McCarron put on the headset to speak with ESPN’s PK Subban for the first intermission interview, and he didn’t mince words when discussing the situation, flatly calling Manson a “dirty player.”

“I mean, you played against Josh,” McCarron said to Subban. “He’s a dirty player, he’s always been. Surprised he got away with only a four-minute [minor]. I’m glad he’s still in the game.”

McCarron left nothing to the imagination when sharing his feelings about Manson. That’s a battle that should remain intensely physical throughout the rest of the night, as McCarron won’t be forgetting that cheap shot in a hurry and will be eager to exact some revenge.

Here’s a look at the initial incident between Manson and McCarron, during which the Avs’ defenseman can be seen jabbing at his opponent with his stick.

When Manson’s on the ice, he’ll need to keep his head up and have an eye open looking out for McCarron. Don’t be surprised if the gloves come off at some point later on, either.

Although Manson avoided a game misconduct, the Wild were able to capitalize on the double-minor, scoring the game’s first goal on the ensuing power play after Danila Yurov tucked home a deflection on a shot from Brock Faber.

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