Radko Gudas delivers huge hip check on Brandon Tanev

The Anaheim Ducks were hosting the Seattle Kraken on Friday night and while it's not the most noteworthy game on the calendar given each team's place in the standings, it provided one of the best moments we've seen all week.

Prior to the game, the Anaheim Ducks announced that veteran defenceman Radko Gudas was returning to the lineup for the first time since mid-March when he sustained an upper-body injury against the Minnesota Wild.


Just over half-way through the second period, Radko Gudas made his presence known. The gritty defenceman was in the neutral zone when he decided to lay an old-school hip check on Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev, causing him to flip completely over.





As is the case with any big hit in the National Hockey League these days, regardless if it's clean or not, several of Seattle's players jumped Radko Gudas and somehow, the Ducks defenceman was the only one penalized on the play. The officials decided to hand him a two-minute minor for tripping Brandon Tanev.

Gudas' Anaheim Ducks sit seventh in the Pacific Division and third-last in the Western Conference. After signing Gudas and Alex Killorn in the off-season, two players with extensive Stanley Cup Playoff experience, the Ducks were hoping they would take a step forward in their rebuild, but they didn't, thanks in part to inconsistent play and injuries.

It'll be interesting to see what the Anaheim Ducks do this summer as they try to turn the tide and attempt to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, which be the first time since 2018.