Adam Fantilli sent former teammate Kirill Marchenko to the ice with a big check tonight, and the Columbus crowd loved every second of it.
Spittin' Chiclets shared the sequence, which came with 9:55 left in the first period and the game tied 1-1.
The broadcast frame shows Fantilli, No. 19, driving through the Maple Leafs forward near the faceoff circle as the puck slides away.
That's how you back up your words. Fantilli talked about it this morning, then made sure Marchenko felt it in the first period.
It's like sending a strongly worded email and then showing up at the meeting to say it to your face.
Earlier in the day, Fantilli said it would have been a nightmare keeping a player who didn't want to be there all year.
Marchenko was booed the first time his name was announced in the building.
Here is the clip :
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Adam Fantilli follows blunt pregame comments with huge check on Kirill Marchenko
He has 10 points with Toronto on a $3,850,000 cap hit.
Two of his goals have come on the power play.
Fantilli has 3 points on a $13,750,000 cap hit.
Matthew Knies, facing the Leafs for the first time, said before the game there would be no friends on the ice.
Knies has 4 points for Columbus, including a game-winner.
Before puck drop, Marchenko had also signed a puck for a fan during warmups.
Toronto came in at 4-4-2 on the back half of a back-to-back.
Columbus came in at 3-4-0, but 3-2-0 at home.
Moments like that tend to light up a bench, especially in a game carrying this much history.
Auston Matthews leads Toronto with 16 points, and Nick Paul was nearby for the Leafs when the check landed.
Jet Greaves came in at .907 for Columbus, while Sergei Bobrovsky was at .902 for Toronto.
Kent Johnson leads the Blue Jackets with 4 goals.
Does Marchenko answer back on the scoresheet before the night is over?
Fantilli delivered the first message. Marchenko still has two periods to send one back.
Was Adam Fantilli's check on Kirill Marchenko the play of the night?
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