Ballard two-hands Vokoun

[mack 44]

I swung a stick and broke it on a goal post. Sat for the rest of the game and learned a lesson. That was in bantams. This 'tard is in the NHL.

[eric42434224 1]

I see this as something the Panthers will, and should, deal with internally....not the league.

[ddbowdoin 0]

usually I watch these videos and say "eh, that wasnt all that bad" but this......WOW, WHAT AN IDIOT!

it's amazing to me how much damage can be done by what seems to not have been a direct hit, at least after I watched the TSN clip like 100 times. imagine what would have happened if he hit Vokoun straight on in the head with a large part of the stick, looks like it just clips the ear and side of the helmet (likely sending a wonderful ringing sensation through his head)

[english15x 3]

"Only the Panthers.

Ballard, the team says, feels terrible. Perhaps he'll have one wise proverb stitched on a pillow: as a Pathers Facebook friend soberly noted, "It's better to hit yourself than to hit your own teammate."

[Law Goalie 147]

Vokoun gets one free shot at him - with a goalie stick.

[sickwilly 37]

Good thing he wasn't using an old school Koho.

What a moron!

[JPB_69 0]

One of the most f'd up things I've ever seen.

[eric42434224 1]

God he must feel like shit today. It isnt just on sports networks...it is on every newscast today....even national.

I think everyone who feels he should be punished by the league are playing the results. Everyone complains about how hits should be judged impartially, by the rules, regardless of the results. This seems to me to be the same thing. No one ever complains about players breaking their sticks on the goal or glass. But along comes this moronic, but accidental, incident. Now many think he should be punished for an action that no one ever had a serious problem with....it is just that someone got hurt this time.

The Panthers should absolutely fine/punish/sit Ballard, but the league should not punish him, because he didnt do anything to break the rules.

Perhaps the league should use this as an opportunity to change the rules....but that should be the extent of it.

[eric42434224 1]

I just think the league needs to be clear on what conduct is punishable and how it is to be punished.

Punish those from that point on. Not Ballard.

We just disagree I guess.

What happened with Sundin?

[dsjunior1388 81]

Vokoun gets one free shot at him - with a goalie stick.

How about some Locker room justice?

lol

Seriously though I don't see any reason why the NHL doesn't throw the book at Ballard here. Teammate, opponent, referee, or convicted murderrer sitting in the stands, you can't throw temper tantrums and endanger others. I've had my share of on-ice frustrations, but after punching the glass after a blown breakaway at age 18 and tweaking my wrist (still feels a little sore sometimes,) I decided to go the mature way and mumble obscenities at myself under my breath. We're talking about a 27 year old professional, the old BS about "competitive fire" and "caught up in the moment" don't fly anymore. He needs to learn to deal with being scored on, (and being made to look foolish by one of the most explosive players in the league) in a mature, adult way instead of throwing a hissy fit and breaking his stick.

[Chadd 916]

I just think the league needs to be clear on what conduct is punishable and how it is to be punished.

Punish those from that point on. Not Ballard.

We just disagree I guess.

What happened with Sundin?

Sundin broke his stick on a shot and tossed the remains into the stands. The NHL was less than pleased.

I agree that it is hard to justify suspending one guy for something they allow other guys to do every night. Then again, that doesn't seem to be an issue with the head shots and hits from behind. I was just looking for a way that they could justify the suspension and the "conduct detrimental to the league" clause would be the one.

[chippa13 1844]

Guys shatter sticks on the nets all the time. Having to walk into that lockerroom and look Vokoun and his teammates in the eyes will be punishment for Ballard.

[eric42434224 1]

Guys shatter sticks on the nets all the time. Having to walk into that lockerroom and look Vokoun and his teammates in the eyes will be punishment for Ballard.

Yup...that will hurt him more than any suspension or fine. I wouldnt want to be him next time the team gets together.

[chippa13 1844]

Sundin sat a game for his stick toss into the stands. My letter the THN in response to the Leafs crying about his one game suspension actually made it into print. And that was my 15 minutes.

[Chadd 916]

Sundin broke his stick on a shot and tossed the remains into the stands. The NHL was less than pleased.

He got fined, but, TPS footed the bill on that. Sundin said "If your stick didn't break when I was shooting, it wouldn't have ended up in the crowd." Thus, Sundin's name as a pattern at TPS for a year or two. Douche.

That was a strange one, I recall TPS going in and taking the rest of his sticks from that batch away from him.

[raganblink 82]

At the end of the day, hockey makes SportsCenter and the 11 o'clock news for something stupid instead of something great. Sad.

It always will. Unless its a hat-trick by crosby/ovechkin, a huge scoring game by someone (5+ goals), its always a brawl or some incident or some shit that makes SC rather than just good hockey.

What really grinds my gears is, they analzye every boring, blowout baseball, basketball (these two especially) and football game, and then they leave 3 minutes for hockey and they only cover one game or something. If they actually covered hockey (good parts) equally or atleast, 75% as much as they do for College basketball, baseball, that shit, hockey would be so much popular. No hockey is the main reason im not a fan of ESPN anymore. Back in the 90s they'd atleast mention most games. Now were lucky if they mention any.

/end rant on espn on how they suck and care waaaay to much about college sports, handegg, boreball, and blasketball. .... they don't even mention futbol unless a riot takes place! :(

[chippa13 1844]

If the ESPN (USA) viewers wanted more of it then they'd show it. It all comes down to ratings.

[Chadd 916]

If the ESPN (USA) viewers wanted more of it then they'd show it. It all comes down to ratings.

Yes and no. They own broadcast rights to every other major sport and by focusing on them more, they focus interest on those sports. But we're getting way off topic on something that has been discussed before.

[Fletch 219]

At the end of the day, hockey makes SportsCenter and the 11 o'clock news for something stupid instead of something great. Sad.

My thoughts exactly when I first saw the clip yesterday. Especially here in LA with morons like Fred Roggin. "Scary incident in the NHL tonight.. .. (description, clip).. .. now the latest on Tiger Woods."

[Fire0nIce228 1]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=508150

Per the article,

Neither the Panthers nor the NHL will discipline Ballard for his actions.

"It's a non-factor," DeBoer said. "This guy was visibly shaken and upset by the incident in the game. When we found out that Tomas was going to be fine I think he gutted it out and played the rest of the night for us. Tomas got on the plane and they had a chance to chat and sit together and there were no hard feelings.

"It's unfortunate. We don't condone it. I think organization's biggest issue now is getting the message out to the kids watching the game that it was a heat-of-the-moment play and it's not how you want to handle your frustrations. I'm sure Keith won't do it again and we're moving forward."

Ballard's night got worse as Maxim Afinogenov's game-winning goal deflected off his stick and into the net with only 5.5 seconds left in the contest.

"Obviously Keith has had some tough games the last few and the team has been losing and you see that frustration boil over in all different ways, whether it's guys taking penalties, whether it's yelling on the bench, yelling in the dressing room or whether it's slamming his stick after a goal," DeBoer said. "This one had some consequences."

What a bunch of shit. Okay NHL, NHLPA, Florida Panthers, and adults in general, lets not punish this guy for being reckless and endangering others. Way to teach the players and the kids... wow.

[eric42434224 1]

Man...some people are so overreacting to this. Teaching kids? Cmon. No kid is out there thinking it is OK to do that because Ballard wasnt punished. The incident and the injury alone are a lesson to kids. Punishing him does not do anything productive.

If the NHL wants to do something about it, they should clearly define that type of action as illegal, allowing refs and the league to penalize or punish the player accordingly. Punishing Ballard before those rules/punishment are clearly spelled out isnt fair. His actions werent a penalty and are done every day in the league....why do we not call for the head of the hundreds of players who have done the same thing? This one just happened to have an accidental injury as the outcome. Stop playing the results. I would actually hazard a guess that the widespread exposure to this incident has done infinitely more to show that action as dangerous than any punishment handed down by the team or league.

Ease up.

JMHO

[KYHockey3 0]

the Nhl should make a new "Ballard rule"

fining or penalizing players for swinging sticks and injuring players on either team, or some rule based upon what Ballard did

[mack 44]

Guilty of what? An extra chromosome?

Edit: Now that just doesn't make a lick of sense with the post being deleted.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Man...some people are so overreacting to this. Teaching kids? Cmon. No kid is out there thinking it is OK to do that because Ballard wasnt punished. The incident and the injury alone are a lesson to kids. Punishing him does not do anything productive.

If the NHL wants to do something about it, they should clearly define that type of action as illegal, allowing refs and the league to penalize or punish the player accordingly. Punishing Ballard before those rules/punishment are clearly spelled out isnt fair. His actions werent a penalty and are done every day in the league....why do we not call for the head of the hundreds of players who have done the same thing? This one just happened to have an accidental injury as the outcome. Stop playing the results. I would actually hazard a guess that the widespread exposure to this incident has done infinitely more to show that action as dangerous than any punishment handed down by the team or league.

Ease up.

JMHO

Well, based on the number of kids I see swinging their sticks at posts over my life I'm in the belief that something needs to be done to put a stop to this. A penalty for unsportsmanlike or something at the least. Can't even begin to guess how many sticks I've seen broke over bars, posts, and boards in the years I've been around the sport. Someone finally gets hurt on a big stage. I would hazard a guess that until you start punishing players for that behaviour it will continue at all levels of the game.

Hell punish him on the fact that its casting the league (yet again) in a bad situation where (yet again) the only mainstream exposure hockey gets is (yet again) something to be looked down upon by damn near everyone. People already think the sport is full of barbarians because of the fighting involved now they're seeing another stick swinging incident. Not good.

[chippa13 1844]

Trust me, most kids who shatter a stick over a post these days in front of their folks only do it once.