Kucherov loses it on equipment manager in final seconds of Game 6.
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Kucherov loses it on equipment manager in final seconds of Game 6.

Kucherov's frustration gets the better of him.

HockeyFeed

HockeyFeed

If there was any doubt left about how badly the Tampa Bay Lightning wanted to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship, they dispelled all those remaining doubts on Sunday night when they truly showed just how much they hated losing.

By now you've all seen the outburst from Tampa Bay Lightning star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in the Lightning's tunnel following the conclusion of Game 6, but Vasilevskiy was hardly the only player to show his frustration as it became clear that the Colorado Avalanche were going to be crowned Stanley Cup champions.

Perhaps one of the most unfortunate examples came courtesy of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in the dying seconds of Game 6. Kucherov was on the ice with only seconds left on the game clock but unfortunately for the Lightning star he had broken his stick and was quickly skating to the bench to retrieve another one.

Even more unfortunate for Kucherov was the fact that there was no stick waiting for him when he got there. Although we can't hear what Kucherov is saying in this moment, his body language gives you a pretty good idea that there may have been some colorful words flying here. The demonstrably angry Kucherov at first slams his fist in anger on the bench before appearing to throw his glove at the equipment manager who has failed to give him a new stick at the worst possible moment of the season.

Some may be quick to judge Kucherov for being callous at that moment, but you have to remember that this is a hyper-competitive individual in one of the most competitive and high-pressure moments anyone could ever imagine. Kucherov was desperate to get back out onto the ice in the hopes of keeping his team alive in the series and as an equipment manager you have to be ready for these moments, especially in the final seconds of an elimination game.

Although there was anger in the moment, I firmly believe that the two men involved in this dispute have likely already put it behind them.

Did Kucherov go too far? Was he right to be angry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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