They really are running with this
Weak victim mentality. I've never been a "hockey is going soft we need players throwing Scott Stevens hits all the time" guy but my goodness, it was four clean hits! One of which Laine initiated, and another that preceded several cross checks from Laine. Also of note is the fact none of his teammates stood up for him, speaks volumes about the nature of the hits and how his teammates felt about his antics.