The San Jose Sharks took a rather large bite out of the Canucks on Friday, blanking the team 4-0.
And it appears at least one Canuck wasn’t ready to leave California without extracting some flesh of his own.
With just 40 seconds left in the game, during a tussle along the boards, Vancouver left winger Antoine Roussel appeared to open his mouth and chomp the hand of San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Roussel was sent to the locker room early, and on Saturday he was awarded a stiffer penalty.
The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined Roussel $5,000 for the bite, the largest penalty he can receive under the players’ association’s collective bargaining agreement.
The cash goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
It’s not the first time a Canuck has made headlines for inappropriate gnashing.
Back in Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final against Boston, Alex Burrows appeared to bite Patrice Bergeron’s finger.
Burrows escaped without a suspension in the incident, after the NHL concluded there was no proof he had intentionally bit the Boston centre.