Josh Manson just made things ten times worse with his postgame comments
Josh Manson didn't dance around it Monday night. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman owned the moment, denied the worst part, and admitted the rest with a straight face.
"He hits me, but then he lands on me. I didn't really like that," Manson told reporters after the game. That's the setup to the butt end.
The Avs defender went on. "I butt ended him. Was that on purpose, was that my intention? Absolutely not." That's the official denial.
Then the part that's going to live online forever. "Did I want to punch him in the head? I did want to punch him in the head."
That kind of honesty is rare in May. Most players read a card, deflect to the next game, and move on. Manson stood at the podium and spoke like a guy who knew the clip was already viral.
The 34-year-old veteran has been a physical presence for Jared Bednar all year. The regular season produced 5 goals, 26 assists, and a plus-42 across 79 games.
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Bednar waits on Player Safety with the series tied
The honesty doesn't help Manson's case with the NHL Department of Player Safety. The hearing process doesn't reward locker room candor.
The double minor was called on the ice under Rule 58.5. The league reviews these clips overnight, and Manson's own words now sit on top of the video.
Michael McCarron took the hit. The Minnesota Wild forward has 4 points and a plus-2 across 9 playoff games at a 900 thousand cap hit. Not a player anyone targets on purpose.
The series shifted underneath all of this. Minnesota won Monday's game, and the second-round matchup now sits tied at 2-2 heading back to Denver.
The Avalanche had the top regular season record at 121 points. They have to win Game 5 at home with their veteran blueliner potentially watching from a press box.
That's the spot Bednar didn't want to be in. The depth on this Colorado back end is real, but losing a top-four right shot mid-series tilts everything.
The hearing call lands today or tomorrow. The Wild already have their evidence package waiting in the form of Manson's own quotes.
Hockey players rarely talk themselves into longer suspensions. Manson might have. The honesty was refreshing. The timing was not.
Game 5 goes Wednesday. The seat next to Bednar's bench may be hot.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 11, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Martin Necas | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ross Colton | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Parker Kelly | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nico Sturm | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Danila Yurov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Drury | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brock Faber | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Quinn Hughes | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nicolas Roy | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Ahcan | - | - | - | |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | - | - | - | |
| Zach Bogosian | - | - | - | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Marcus Foligno | - | - | - | |
| Nick Foligno | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||