Wild's McCarron calls Avs' Manson 'dirty player' for butt-end

Minnesota Wild forward Michael McCarron called Josh Manson a "dirty player" after the Colorado Avalanche defenseman butt-ended him in the first period of Game 4.

"You played against Josh. He's a dirty player. He's always been," McCarron told P.K. Subban during a first-intermission interview on ESPN. "Surprised he got away with only a four-minute (penalty). I'm happy he's still in the game."

Here's a look at the play:

The incident was reviewed for a five-minute major but ultimately ruled a double-minor for butt-ending.

Manson said following Colorado's 5-2 win that while he didn't intend to butt-end McCarron, he did try to punch him.

"He hits me, but then he lands on me. I didn't really like that," Manson said, per The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "I butt-ended him. Was that on purpose, was that my intention? Absolutely not. … Did I want to punch him in the head? I did want to punch him in the head."

Manson also vowed that he's not a dirty player, saying, "That's fine. If he wants to call me a dirty player he can look at my history. It's been 13 years and I haven't been suspended yet, so obviously I'm not that dirty."

McCarron, meanwhile, doubled down on his stance after the game.

"I blew him up, and he grabs me and pulls me on top of him. He's a dirty player. He took his butt-end and clearly butt-ended me in the face. I don't know how it's not five minutes," Manson said postgame, per The Athletic's Joe Smith. "I think the rule book says it's a five minute if you butt-end someone in the face. He's a dirty player. He's always been. Not very well respected."

The NHL rulebook states "a major penalty shall be imposed on a player who butt-ends an opponent" but "a double-minor penalty will be imposed on a player who attempts to butt-end an opponent."