It could have been much worse for The Biebs.

Chris Pronger, one of the baddest defensemen in NHL history, was merely taking it easy on Justin Bieber when he used his 220-pound frame to press the pop star's chin into the glass in the NHL All-Star Celebrity Game on Saturday in Los Angeles.

"We're just going to call it a hit and stick," Pronger laughed in conversation with TSN 1050 on Monday. "I didn't hit him very hard; he only weighs about 100 pounds. Had I hit him, I may have killed him.

"There would be another legal nightmare for the NHL."

That said, over the course of the game, Pronger realized that it was on him to teach Bieber a lesson.

"I was kinda playing around with him all game, getting in his face, slashing him and bugging him a bit. He gave me a little whack so I said 'alright, I guess he wants to play.' So I thought I would rough him up a bit in the corner, see how he liked it."

It turns out Bieber is a good sport. When asked if he was unhappy with the abuse, or the viral photo snapped rinkside, Pronger said his latest victim took it all in stride.

"We were just having fun."

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