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Blues and Thrashers Exchange Pleasantries
(AP) Atlanta: It was supposed to be a simple cross conference game between two teams that couldn’t have less of a rivalry.
Not quite and no longer.
After a fight filled and controversial game that saw two players ejected, several injured and one player suspended, the league has to be thankful the Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues are not in the same conference, let alone division.
In an otherwise entertaining and high scoring game, the shenanigans started in the first period, when the Thrashers Nolan Yonkman head-butted the Blues Jarko Ruutu and was summarily ejected.
Somehow, he has yet to receive a suspension for the incident.
With tempers still high, in the second period the Blues Chris Pronger and the Thrashers Alex Burrows squared off, and after a solid victory by Pronger in which Burrows collapsed to the ice after a Pronger right hand, Pronger proceeded to hit Burrows several more times before linesmen could intervene. Burrows needed to helped off the ice with severely beaten face and received medical treatment. He is expected to miss several weeks with what has been diagnosed as a broken cheekbone and shatter eye socket.
Minutes later, the Thrashers Brad Winchester, who had already high sticked the Blues Dany Heatley in the same period, proceeded to receive a 5 minute major for cross checking from behind on Blues star Daniel Alfredsson, who had 2 goals and 3 points in the game.
Later in the third, the Blues Brad Stuart received a game misconduct for hitting the Thrashers Dominic Moore with a high stick during an open ice hit. Moore was shaken up and did not return, while Stuart was ejected. Moore is not expected to miss the next game.
Following the game, Blues head coach Marc Crawford was incredulous.
“High sticks, cross checks from behind, head butts...what can you say.” said Crawford. “It was something out of Slap Shot”.
“And the only guy to receive a suspension, is the guy who beats the heck out of a guy in a fair fight? Ridiculous”
The Blues, who won the game 6-5, caught an immediate flight back to St. Louis where they will face the Carolina Hurricanes this evening without the services of their captain.
(AP) Atlanta: It was supposed to be a simple cross conference game between two teams that couldn’t have less of a rivalry.
Not quite and no longer.
After a fight filled and controversial game that saw two players ejected, several injured and one player suspended, the league has to be thankful the Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues are not in the same conference, let alone division.
In an otherwise entertaining and high scoring game, the shenanigans started in the first period, when the Thrashers Nolan Yonkman head-butted the Blues Jarko Ruutu and was summarily ejected.
Somehow, he has yet to receive a suspension for the incident.
With tempers still high, in the second period the Blues Chris Pronger and the Thrashers Alex Burrows squared off, and after a solid victory by Pronger in which Burrows collapsed to the ice after a Pronger right hand, Pronger proceeded to hit Burrows several more times before linesmen could intervene. Burrows needed to helped off the ice with severely beaten face and received medical treatment. He is expected to miss several weeks with what has been diagnosed as a broken cheekbone and shatter eye socket.
Minutes later, the Thrashers Brad Winchester, who had already high sticked the Blues Dany Heatley in the same period, proceeded to receive a 5 minute major for cross checking from behind on Blues star Daniel Alfredsson, who had 2 goals and 3 points in the game.
Later in the third, the Blues Brad Stuart received a game misconduct for hitting the Thrashers Dominic Moore with a high stick during an open ice hit. Moore was shaken up and did not return, while Stuart was ejected. Moore is not expected to miss the next game.
Following the game, Blues head coach Marc Crawford was incredulous.
“High sticks, cross checks from behind, head butts...what can you say.” said Crawford. “It was something out of Slap Shot”.
“And the only guy to receive a suspension, is the guy who beats the heck out of a guy in a fair fight? Ridiculous”
The Blues, who won the game 6-5, caught an immediate flight back to St. Louis where they will face the Carolina Hurricanes this evening without the services of their captain.
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