GIF: Paquette punches Chara, immediately regrets it

It was like a moment in one of those corny coming of age movies. 

The hero works up the courage to finally stand up to a bully and puts everything he's got into one redemptive punch, only to find that ... Welp, they don't punch that hard. And the bully is still much, much larger than they are. 

A hasty, slapstick retreat ensures. 

Our hero tonight was Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette, who got into two scuffles with Boston Bruins defender Zdeno Chara and lived to tell the tale. Barely.

After taking a shot from Chara in the throat in the second frame, Paquette jawed with the Bruins captain once again as time expired. He worked up the courage to punch Chara once and then reacted the way, well, any sane person who'd just punched Chara would act:

(Courtesy: NESN)