Peter Holland defends Cedric Pare after controversial hit on Patrik Laine (Picture credit: Imagn)

Former Toronto Maple Leafs player Peter Holland stood up for Cedric Pare after Saturday’s preseason collision with Montreal’s Patrik Laine. The hit, which led to Laine’s injury and exit from the game, caused some controversy.

Holland, who played with Pare last season, spoke about Pare’s character on X (formerly Twitter). Holland explained that Pare was simply trying to avoid being sidestepped during the play.

“Played with Pare last year. He’s not a dirty player and has really good hockey sense. Unfortunate circumstance with Laine but I know there was no intent to injure. Just a guy trying to make it to the next level and didn’t want to get side stepped,” Holland posted.

Played with Pare last year. He’s not a dirty player and has really good hockey sense. Unfortunate circumstance with Laine but I know there was no intent to injure.

Just a guy trying to make it to the next level and didn’t want to get side stepped

— Peter Holland (@PeterHolland13) September 29, 2024

Holland, who returned from retirement last year to sign a tryout with the Colorado Avalanche, played 42 games with Pare in the AHL. This experience helped him get to know Pare’s playing style.

Toronto won 2-1 against the Canadiens on Saturday, but the main story was the collision. Laine left the game after his leg bent awkwardly from a knee-on-knee hit. No penalty was called, but Arber Xhekaj responded by hitting Pare multiple times on the next shift. Xhekaj received 27 penalty minutes and was ejected. The NHL later fined him $3,385.42, the maximum allowed.

Pare also addressed the incident after the game, telling TSN’s Mark Masters:

“It’s a fast game, it wasn’t my intention, I didn’t mean to do that.”

There hasn’t been an official update on Laine’s condition yet, and both teams are focused on preparing for their season openers on Oct. 9. Pare is not expected to be on the Leafs’ roster for that game because of his current spot on the depth chart.

Cedric Pare commended by Craig Berube after controversial collision with Patrik Laine

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube praised Cedric Pare for keeping his composure following the controversial knee-on-knee collision with Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine during Saturday’s preseason game.

Berube downplayed the incident, saying:

“Just a tough play. I mean, just trying to beat a guy. I mean, it ended up colliding. That’s all I saw. I never really looked at it any closer than that.”

Despite pressure from Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj and the vocal Montreal crowd, Berube commended Pare for maintaining his focus.