Mike Yeo watched Rod Brind'Amour end Ottawa's season Saturday, then saw the Carolina coach breeze past him in the handshake line.
That was the extra sting after the Senators were knocked out 4-2 in Game 4, with the Hurricanes closing the series in a four-game sweep.
Brind'Amour's club didn't just beat Ottawa once. Carolina finished the job with a 2-0 win in Game 1, a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 2, a 2-1 win in Game 3, and the clincher Saturday.
Ottawa pushed at times, especially in the second period of Game 4, but the larger story was how little room Carolina gave them through the series.
The Senators scored 5 goals in 4 games.
Against a team coached by Brind'Amour, that usually means the series is already slipping away.
Then came the moment everyone noticed after the final horn.
Brind'Amour moved straight down the line and kept his eyes ahead, and the camera caught Mike Yeo standing there without so much as a glance back.
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Unexpected handshake line clash between Senators and Hurricanes coaches goes viral
Yeo is an assistant on Travis Green's staff, not the man running Ottawa's bench, but he became part of the postgame story in a hurry because the clip looked personal.
Maybe it was just the speed of the line.
Maybe Brind'Amour simply missed him in the crowd of coaches and staff.
But that's not how it looked on replay, and hockey people know these moments never stay small once a season ends and cameras catch every reaction.
Brind'Amour's group controlled pace, protected the middle, and kept dragging Ottawa into the kind of grind that wears out even a heavy team.
For Yeo, that clip now sits on top of an ugly finish. The Senators didn't just get eliminated. One of their assistants got turned into the image fans will remember from the exit.
That's why this one lands. The rivalry didn't stop with the players. For one awkward walk through the line, it spilled right onto the coaches too.
Did Rod Brind'Amour mean to snub Mike Yeo?
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