Angry Esposito, Bergeron Blast Brown for High-Stick Attack on Sandstrom

The New York Rangers reacted angrily to a crushing blow to the head of All-Star forward Tomas Sandstrom by Philadelphia’s Dave Brown in Monday night’s National Hockey League game.

“If he wasn’t trying for the face, then there isn’t a steer in Texas,” Ranger General Manager Phil Esposito said. “He was trying for the face; there’s no doubt about it because if he’s going to cross-check, he could have gotten him under the arms, on the shoulders, on the biceps, but he went right after the face.”

Sandstrom was hospitalized overnight.

“The hospital says he had no post-concussion condition and no fractured jaw,” a Rangers’ spokesman said.

“I’ve been coaching for eight years in the league now and I’ve seen many things in hockey, but I’ve never seen anything like that,” New York Coach Michel Bergeron said of the third-period incident during the game that ended in a 2-2 tie. “I’m too angry to say what I think about Brown now. If he did the same thing on the street tonight, he’d get 10 years in jail. He didn’t just try to hurt him--he tried to kill him.”

Brown was assessed a match penalty for high-sticking in a deliberate attempt to injure and was ejected from the game. Match penalties get an automatic review by Brian O’Neill, NHL executive vice president. The penalty carries an automatic three-game suspension.

Bergeron said Brown should be suspended for more than the automatic three games.

“When a player attempts to injure someone like that, he should be suspended for a year,” Bergeron said.

The incident happened at the 12:30 mark, after a play had stopped near the Flyers’ net. Sandstrom hit the ice with a thud and had to be helped off.

“There’s no room in the game of hockey for things like that,” Esposito said.