It was a scary scene Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center when Wild defenseman Keith Ballard laid motionless on the ice following a hit from Islanders enforcer Matt Martin.
Ballard's head smashed into the partition and he crumpled to the ground and began convulsing. He eventually was able to walk off the ice with the help of team trainers and spent the night in a Minnesota hospital.
Ballard, 32, was discharged the next day with three facial fractures and a concussion. His history of concussions has been particularly worrisome.
On Wednesday, Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher was asked about Ballard's condition and spoke with a concerned tone.
“This is serious,” Fletcher said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “He’s had concussions before. I don’t know how many. We’re worried about that. Bones will heal. I don’t mean to make light of it, but his face will heal. But his hand was sticking right up. He was convulsing. This was scary. You could even see the reaction of the Islanders’ bench. They weren’t standing over him mocking him. They were scared.”
Ballard has a concussion history from his days in Vancouver, where he played from 2010-13. He suffered two concussions there and played 65, 47 and 36 games in the three seasons.
Martin will not be fined for his hit, the NHL announced, because of the vulnerable position Ballard is deemed to have put himself in while turning to avoid the hit.
Wild coach Mike Yeo weighed in on the league's decision:
"I’m not going to argue with the league on this one and I’m sure people on the Islanders’ side of the coin would be looking at things differently, but for me, it’s our player, it’s our teammate," Yeo said. "When I looked at it, I know that Bally was in a bit of a vulnerable position. He may have turned into it a little bit, but at the same time, I see a player launching himself at him at an area close to the boards. The more I watch it, and again it’s hard to watch, when it’s your teammate, you don’t like those.”