Flyers forward Arron Asham has accused the Penguins' Matt Cooke of biting him on the hand during the third period of Sunday's game in Philadelphia, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
Asham did not hold back after the Flyers' 2-1 loss, calling Cooke "garbage" because he allegedly refused to fight with him following the alleged bite.
"I've got no respect for him," Asham told assembled media at the Wachovia Center. "You wish a guy had a little more class, but that's every game with him. You think, 'You bite somebody, (so) you have to fight back,' but not this guy. He's a chicken."
Both Cooke and Asham were given roughing penalties after some minor tussling late in the third. The scrum occurred after Pens star Evgeni Malkin and Flyers winger Scott Hartnell collided. It was after that that the bite is said to have taken place.
Before Asham had made his comments in the post-game scrum, Cooke said he was merely defending Malkin following the hit.
"I thought Hartnell was going to swing at him, so I just went in and grabbed (Hartnell)," said Cooke. "Asham grabbed me from behind.
"At first he was scratching at the side of my face," Cooke said of Asham. "Then he started to rip my helmet off and he hit me upside the head."
Cooke did not say whether or not he had taken a bite out of Asham.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time there has been an accusation of biting after a game between these two teams. On October 8, Pens blueliner Kris Letang claimed Hartnell had taken a nibble on one of his fingers.
Hartnell's response to that accusation at the time?
"A lot of stuff happens on the bottom of a pile."
The Pennsylvania rivals clash next on March 27 in Pittsburgh.
