John Tortorella has seen a lot in his two-plus decades behind the bench, but the hit that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Boko Imama dished out Thursday against Garnet Hathaway of the Philadelphia Flyers left a lasting impression, for all the wrong reasons.

Midway through the second period of the latest showdown between the Metropolitan Division foes, Imama caught Hathaway with a blindside hit away from the puck. The result saw Hathaway hit his head on the ice before he ultimately exited the game due to injury.

While Imama was initially assessed a five-minute major as a result of the play, upon review the call was reduced to a two-minute penalty, a decision that did not sit well with the Flyers bench boss.

“The explanation was it was not a hit to the head on the hit, [but] that he hit his head on the ice, and that’s why there’s a two-minute penalty,” Tortorella said postgame per Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while. That’s why he hits his head on the ice.

“I believe we should be thinking about what really happened on the hit, not get glued on a hit to the head originally. That’s a dangerous, cheap hit. [Referee Frederick L’Ecuyer] gave me an explanation, and I understand the explanation, but I don’t understand how you end up with two minutes on probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while.”

Tortorella later added that he did not believe the Penguins forward intended to injury Hathaway. The longtime coach also did not have an update on Hathaway’s status following his club’s 5-4 overtime loss.

On the season, the Flyers stand 26-26-8 and six points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference.