Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Kyle Clifford has been in the American Hockey League with the Marlies all season. Today, he crossed a line by going after Boko Imama in the handshake line after their playoff series against the Belleville Senators ended.
The Marlies season came to an end tonight as the Belleville Senators defeated them 4-3 on overtime, eliminating them from the Calder Cup playoffs. As per tradition, the two teams lined up for hand shakes upon the game's conclusion. This time, things got spicy though as Kyle Clifford instigated an altercation.
Notably, Clifford and Imama have a history, as the two players were involved in a scrum earlier in the regular season. Clearly, the two players still have beef with each other, but it seems that Clifford is the one who can't handle himself accordingly.
It is extremely unusual to see something like this happen in hockey. The playoffs are always hard fought series. Emotions often run high. Sometimes things get extra chippy and physical. But even then, the teams always agree to some level of decorum with the hand shake line upon the series conclusion.