Dallas Stars' Corey Perry gets first-ever Winter Classic ejection after elbowing Nashville Predators' Ryan Ellis
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dallas Stars’ forward Corey Perry became the first player ever to get ejected from the annual Winter Classic on New Year's Day after a nasty hit on Nashville Predators’ defenseman Ryan Ellis took him out of the game with an upper-body injury.
Just over two minutes into the first period, Ellis attempted a shot from the blue line when Perry approached him with a high elbow, catching the 28-year-old defenseman in the face as he released the puck.
STARS RALLY TO BEAT PREDS 4-2 IN WINTER CLASSIC AT COTTON
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ellis remained facedown on the ice for about a minute before eventually being helped off by teammates and carted off to the locker room in a motorized cart.
Ryan Ellis #4 of the Nashville Predators receives some on-ice attention after taking a hit during the 2020 NHL Winter Classic between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars at The Cotton Bowl on January 1, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
Perry was called for game misconduct for elbowing and was ejected from the game - taking what social media dubbed the most cringeworthy walk of shame in NHL history.
Corey Perry #10 of the Dallas Stars leaves the game on a misconduct in the first period of the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Nashville Predators at Cotton Bowl on January 01, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Despite the optics of the hit, Perry said it was just an “awkward play.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It was very unintentional,” he said after the game. “I didn't mean to do it. I hope he's OK."
The five-minute major allowed the Predators to take a 2-0 lead after two powerplay goals by Matt Duchene and Dante Fabbro.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dallas was able to recover from the early setback and went on to win the game 4-2 after Andrej Sekera scored the game-winning goal following Alexander Radulov’s tiebreaking goal off a one-timer with just under 15 minutes left.
Perry’s ejection from the Winter classic marks the first game misconduct ever during the 12-year tradition and only the second for an outdoor NHL game, Senior writer for NHL.com Dan Rosen reported.