Hit of the Season: Ballard sends Malkin in to Cosmic Revolution and gives “Sid the Kid” a Noseburn
Keith Ballard single-handedly won the game for the Florida Panthers yesterday with two key-moments at the end of the first period. With the game locked at one and the Penguins circling Florida’s wagon-like-defense, getting shots off in bunches at Vokoun, Keith stepped up at the blue-line and sent Evgeni Malkin spinning in to a seemingly never-ending cosmic revolution – off a monstrous hip-check that Malkin won’t ever forget.
[Video] The Russian star not only experienced weightlessness for a moment, but was also sent spinning right through the center of our Universe; through its supermassive black hole of pending darkness – before crashing out the other side – plummeting head-first onto the unforgiving ice in Sunrise, Florida. No wonder Malkin looked dazed and confused mere moments later as he checked his vital signs to see if indeed he was still on planet Earth or had left for pastures unknown….[/Video]
See this outrageous hip-check below and marvel in Evgeni’s somersault! Also see Ballard noseburning Crosby after the latter’s juvenile retaliation reaction!!
Penguins captain Sid “the Kid” reacted babyishly by squaring up to Ballard and instigating a fight. It’s ridiculous that a clean hit should command a fight every time, but that’s how the NHL works these days and until someone puts a stop to that childish like-for-like mentality, we’ll just have to live with it. Keith is no stranger to immature responses, having recently received one from Philadelphia’s own coward in residence Scott Hartnell – the previous week on a similar good hip-check on the toddler in question.
Ballard stood up as he always does; defended himself and gave Crosby a sore noseburn for his efforts.
The hit sparked the 18000+ crowd no end and put some zest back in to the Panthers’ zeal. They came out a changed team in the second and dominated the rest of the game; winning 4-2 in the end. And Crosby and Malkin? They disappeared into a corner somewhere and licked their ego’s – as in the remaining contest they were virtually invisible.
What a game changing hit indeed! That was awesome!
Great hit. I love watching Penguins get owned. I’d pay to see Crosby get his face messed up. Gonna love watching the Caps dismantle them in the playoffs.