Links - Panthers Ballard kind of in shock over Vokoun inci - North River Minor Hockey Association

Panthers Ballard kind of in shock over Vokoun incident LOGINREGISTERHELPYOU ARE NOT LOGGED IN NHLNBAMLBCFLNFLCurlingTennisGolfSoccerNASCARFormula OneIndyCar NASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesNationwideCamping WorldAuto RacingWorld JuniorsSpengler CupMenS WHCWomenS WHCHockey CanadaAHLBoxingCanada GamesCHLCISECHLFigure SkatingLacrosseMMANCAASkiingSummer SportsWinter SportsMoreOlympicsFantasyDaily LineShowsTSN TalentCommunityMainScoresScheduleStandingsStatisticsAnaheimCalgaryChicagoColoradoColumbusDallasDetroitEdmontonLos AngelesMinnesotaNashvillePhoenixSan JoseSt LouisVancouverAtlantaBostonBuffaloCarolinaFloridaMontrealNew JerseyNY IslandersNY RangersOttawaPhiladelphiaPittsburghTampa BayTorontoWashingtonTeamsPlayersInjuriesTransactionsDaily LineNHL on TSNTradeCentreDraftCentreeotText SizeSUNRISE Fla By the time Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun boarded the team plane with his head wrapped and left ear stitched up the shock and confusion of defenceman Keith Ballards illadvised actions had worn offThe Panthers could laugh againIt looked a lot more scary than it really was Vokoun said Wednesday morning wearing a black ski cap and a white bandage over his ear that was cut in the middle and required more than 10 stitches I do have a nasty cut on my ear but its not usual for goalies but players get cut all the time Its not a big deal to anybody its just because it was such a freak accidentAt the time it was a big deal for BallardHe spoke with Vokoun on flight back to South Florida apologizing so many times that Vokoun had to tell him to stop Vokoun Ballard said tried to reassure him and laugh off the injury He told the defenceman not to worry about the swipe and told him that he was fineI just felt terrible Ballard said I didnt know what to say I dont know how many times I apologized and we talked for a bit and he came back and sat with me and we talked for a while longer In those 15 or so minutes I dont know how many times I apologized Finally hes just like dont worry about it its enoughBallard accidentally hit Vokoun with his stick after Atlantas Ilya Kovalchuk scored Monday night to give the Thrashers a 21 lead Ballard erupted in frustration and hurled his stick toward the goals crossbar He whacked Vokoun instead and skated off the ice without realizing that his own goalie was writhing in painIt wasnt so much that they scored a goal I think it was just builtup frustration Ballard said Weve lost five games in a row I havent played well Maybe everything kind of boiled over Obviously I did not handle it in a good way at all Thats why I think they scored and I just kind of snapped a little bit And its unacceptableBallard who was given an award before Wednesdays game against Colorado for being the Panthers top defenceman in November didnt speak with the media on Monday night and players were off Tuesday Both Vokoun and Ballards fi...