UPDATED: Flyers’ Tony DeAngelo Spears Corey Perry, Then Criticizes Him

UPDATE: As expected, the NHL’s Player Safety department announced Wednesday it would have a hearing today with Tony DeAngelo for his spearing incident.

Don’t invite Tampa Bay’s Corey Perry and the Philadelphia Flyers’ Tony DeAngelo to the same cookout.

The two, you see, aren’t the best of pals.

Late in Tampa’s 5-2 whipping of the visiting Flyers on Tuesday, DeAngelo speared Perry in the groin.  He received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

More discipline may be coming from the NHL.

The Lightning went to Perry’s rescue and basically mugged DeAngelo on the ice.

“I took 30 punches on the ground,” DeAngelo told reporters after the game. “And when I get up, they don’t let me do what I’ve got to do.”

We assume he meant he wanted to fight Perry.

DeAngelo said he was “trying to give him a little shot,” and that he didn’t intend to put the stick in a certain area of Perry’s body.

He also said the replay “probably looks a bit worse than it was meant to be.”

It looked bad. And painful.

This spear figures to get the NHL’s office involved. https://t.co/uw15hanBTr

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) March 8, 2023

DeAngelo, who was drafted by Tampa Bay in the first round in 2014, said Perry tried to slash his stick out of his hand prior to his response.

“He talks all game,” DeAngelo said, “I asked him to fight. He doesn’t want to fight. He’ll tell you he’s asked me to fight for years. I don’t say no.”

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella said he had not seen the video yet of DeAngelo’s spear, but he heard it looked bad.

“I want him to have that personality, that competitiveness,” the coach said.

He added that “a couple of guys I did sit” — he was referring to Travis Sanheim and Joel Farabee, players he benched for the second period — “I wish a little of that would rub off on them.”

Tortorella was referring to DeAngelo’s competitiveness, not his stick to the groin.

“But again, I haven’t seen it,” Tortorella said. “He may have crossed the line. You’ve got to be careful.”

Being aggressive is a “part of who Tony is,” Tortorella said, “and I think he’s done a pretty good job in staying on that line (and) competing.”

He said “that’s the line you walk, as far as going over the edge.”