Mad + Hockey Stick - Brain = Poor Sport of the Week

Have you ever been mad? Have you ever been really mad?

Well, apparently, Keith Ballard was really mad this past Monday. And when Ballard gets angry, I guess his brain stops working.

The Florida Panthers played the Atlanta Thrashers in a close game on Monday night. With the game tied early in the first period, Ballard, who plays for the Panthers , let Ilya Kovalchuk of the Thrashers get by him and eventually score against goalie Tomas Vokoun.

That made Ballard mad. Really mad.
(Cue brain shutdown.)

Ballard had to let some of the steam out afterwords, so he decided to swing his stick really hard at the goal post.

While swinging, Ballard must not have noticed Vokoun sitting in front of the goal.

In front of the goal. Sitting there like he was paid to do it. Directly in front of the goal.

The result? Vokoun gets carted off the ice in a stretcher and has to go to the hospital.





It's funny how the jersey that someone wears changes everything. If Vokoun was wearing a Thrashers' jersey instead of a Panthers' jersey, Ballard would definately be suspended for a serious amount of time.

But it only matters when you hit someone on the other team. So hit your own players without any consequence. It was just an accident. And there is no need to punish accidents, as long as you say you're sorry.

Congratulations Keith Ballard, you're the Poor Sport of the week. Also, you're in the running for the least smart person award. And I'm sure the praise and accolades will keep coming.