Darnell Nurse was back on the ice Thursday, participating in the Edmonton Oilers’ morning skate ahead of their game against the Minnesota Wild.
The defenseman spoke publicly for the first time to reporters since being on the receiving end of a check to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves.
Nurse had been retrieving the puck behind his own net when Reaves delivered the hit, leaving him bloodied and sidelined for the remainder of the game.
Debate has swirled around whether Nurse should have been more aware during the play.
“In situations like that, there’s definitely an onus on the player with the puck to be aware of where everybody else is on the ice, for sure,” Nurse told reporters on Thursday. “With that said, there’s lots of body on the 6-foot-4 hockey player to hit and not one piece with such of a head.
“You know, you can argue about the intent, but there are certain guys in the league that each shift they go out there, they’re trying to go inflict pain. And, yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on there.”
Reaves was suspended for five games, serving the first in Toronto’s 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. Nurse confirmed that Reaves approached him during the third period of Toronto’s 4-3 overtime victory against Edmonton to apologize.
But Nurse seemed unfazed by the gesture.
“Not really,” he said when asked if the apology made a difference.
Nurse has two goals and seven assists in 18 games this season. The defender reiterated that it was Reaves’ responsibility to move away from the head.
“You know, it’s one thing if my head is between my knees, but I was in a skating posture,” Nurse said. “You know, you’re elevating at that point.”
Reaves has yet to respond to the incident although he was eager to as the Leafs shut down attempts from reporters to speak to him earlier in the week. That didn’t stop Reaves’ brother Jordan, from taking to Instagram and responding to a Bardown post about Nurse’s comments.
“You can tell that look looking at your skates?” Jordan replied.
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