Rangers' Jacob Trouba clears the air around his dirty hit aimed at Trent Frederic

Jacob Trouba, the New York Rangers captain, found himself in the middle of a controversy after a play resulted in a $5,000 fine from the NHL's department of player safety. This incident took place during Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins when Trouba’s stick made contact with Trent Frederic's head.

Although it went unnoticed during the game, it sparked discussions once it started circulating in the media. The Rangers won that game 7-4.

Trouba has now addressed this incident from his locker at the MSG Training Center, saying:

"The play obviously can’t happen. It was 100% accidental. At the time, I was shocked it happened. I immediately said, ‘I apologize. I didn’t have any intention of doing that.’ I felt like my hand was pushed and I was kind of off balance, so I apologized right away.

"That was kind of the end of it then. Then after the game, I saw a video of it, and it doesn’t look good. It’s not an excusable thing."

Following the incident, there was discussion among NHL fans about whether Trouba should face disciplinary measures in addition to what has already been imposed.

Trouba said the incident was caused by loss of balance rather than deliberately and expressed regret. He said he was willing to accept the consequences.

"I have to control my posture and my stick better than that," he said. "I’m glad he wasn’t injured. I deserve the fine. Take it and move on. Learn from the experience and don’t let it happen again. That’s not the player I want to be."

The incident has sparked a debate about Jacob Trouba’s physical style of play. Rangers fans adore his hits and steadfast resolve, while supporters of opposing teams find it quite dreadful.

Nevertheless, Trouba remains unaffected by the criticism, confidently stating:

"I don’t pay that much attention to it. I stay off social media as much as I can. It’s just kind of how I play the game. That play was dirty. It can’t happen, but the hitting and stuff, that’s just how I play the game.

"I don’t think those are dirty. I don’t mind what people think of me. I don’t put too much thought into what people think of me that don’t really know me, to be honest with you. It is what it is."

Despite the controversy, Trouba’s open ice checks are commonly regarded as clean by experts. He has proven himself to be one of the top performers in the NHL when it comes to executing them. He has no intention of altering his style of play.

"The way I see it, people that have an issue with it, the problem is with the rulebook, not with me," he said. "That’s how I was raised playing the game. Those are the rules I always played by. If they want to change the rules, then change the rules."