Keith Ballard vs Craig Rivet Mar 25, 2009

[BiteVick]

Afinogenov raised his hands, then just said screw it and strangled him lol.

[nudgler]

back offffff....Rick Jeannerette is the best announcer

it's Sabres...not sabers....fool

[redwingfanz10]

god i cant stand to listen to or watch sabers games cuz of that ass hole fucking loud ass bitch announcer. has to be one of the worst and gayest besides the one in boston. he can burn in hell. i hate you

[umbergerstew]

R.J. Got A Nice Twofer Goal And A Fight All at Once

[joefridayquaker]

Jeanneret is the best!

[49erswillis]

I miss Rivet, very good and unappreciated hockey player. I would love him back in San Jose.

[goPre16]

yea im glad we got him... lil over paid, but i love to c this stuff every night

[ThisNameIsShort]

Few people appreciate him here in Buffalo and that's too bad. He works his butt off, is a character role player, and throughout his career he has always put his team first.

[umbergerstew]

Way To Go Buffalo don't Take Shit From No One

[rangerbuffalo]

And...

Rivet may fight sometimes, but he's not a known "fighter" or "goon". It was nice to see a Sabre stand up for a player that had been cheap shotted. Wish they would have buried Gomez like that.

[rangerbuffalo]

Dylan - Vanek (Sabres) won the Gophers that title, not your mancrush Ballard.

Ballard charged across the ice and punched Max in the face after he scored. That's not "playing physical" - I'm looking at you Iamhockey08 - that's a cheap shot. Period.

When you do that, you should be forced to answer for it. That's old time hockey. Otherwise known as the unwritten rules of hockey.

[danglez18]

wasn't ballard who did the cheap shot it was horton

[rangerbuffalo]

Regardless of what the announcer Neale said they actually they both hit Max late. See 1:28 mark. Ballard came from the other side of the ice and hit Max (after he scored) from behind into Horton. Horton brought his hands up and punched Max in the face.

I don't even mind the cheap shot so much. It didn't really seem to bother Max at first. And I understand emotions run high. But if a player does that sort of thing he should expect some retribution.

[dylanhighway61]

Ballard is about 3 inches shorter and Rivet also has weight on him, plus Rivet is a fighter and Ballard is not. So Ballard really had no chance. Kind of a punk move to go after a non fighter when you are a fighter. I am not a Panther fan, but a Gopher hockey fan, and I have to stand up for our former Gophers. Especially one that helped win our first National Title in 23 years in 2002-2003.

[jproducts]

how is that a cheapshot?

[phy6wulf]

Um, how is it *not*? Play is over, you can't headshot somebody just because your team choked, or because you got beat on a play. Horton was wrong to do that and I don't imagine he would deny it.

[jproducts]

Play WASN'T over. The goal was scored at the same time. The hit WASN'T late, and he pushed him in the head really, he wasn't even moving barely it would be different if he actually punched him. That happens all the time in hockey, half the times you get hit they get their hands up or hit you in the head with their fist right before contact to get you off balance, you obviously haven't played a lot of hockey since you don't know that.

[phy6wulf]

LOL "obviously", I love the wannabes who throw that whole I-play-you-don't attitude around on YouTube. Well, I'd better believe you! I must not play! Obviously!

Whatever, if you're going to take the attitude that it's no big deal because it happens all the time, then so do fights and why are we even discussing this? Everything was clean and fair, I know because I play hockey, TRUST ME I'M ON TEH INTERWEBS!

[buyystocks]

what a joke of a post, please.

[Iamhockey08]

I know ballard personally and he is not a goon, he plays physical and obviously the sabres can't deal with it. i also know vanek so i like both teams.

[korko3]

Ballard seemed to know he deserved it and went with it, gotta give him credit for that

[williamparlour]

horton should suck an egg, what an idiot..

[williamparlour]

oh and ballard too!!!! MORON!!!

[imadude113]

Afinogenov's reaction is hilarious.

[abyssiniaboy]

that shuld be an obvious suspension.........rivet is a good guy.

[nymets6986e]

Rivets a punk!

[Mhockey1505]

that was the first time all year that i'll disagree with you... the first time rivet DIDN'T act like a punk...

use anything as a rallying point... i don't care anymore - i'm not trying to be naive buffalo fan, because there are too many of those, but im saying IF they decide to play the rest of the year with the same intensity they played with in the 3rd of this game, its going to be hard not to go 10-0...

the new "hit to the head rule" should take effect immediately - he got blindsided twice!

[nymets6986e]

i didnt mean in this video he acted like a punk. That comment was based on his actions in the islander game in OCT. Its tough for me to see him called classy by people even though hes done crap like that.

[Mhockey1505]

i dunno... thompson had his gloves off throwing at mair, and mair didn't even drop his stick... he didn't 3rd man in and start hitting the guy 2 on 1 w/ mair.. he just knocked him over, then pummeled witt

[buttkick22]

r u still on that whole thing.....thompson was crosschecking mair and droped the gloves when mair said no and still had his stick on gloves on......rivet did what any captain would do he pulled him off mair.......if anything thompson was a punk.....rivet has been in the league a while and fought some of the toughest guys in the league......he's never been suspended......he's far from a punk

[legros11]

Re : nymets6986e, Rivet`s a leader, Idiot !

[PominvilleKaleta2936]

How on Earth is he a punk? Its the other team that is punks, going for a cheap shot on Max!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mulva529]

its like yeah i scored....now you die lmao

[Iamhockey08]

ballard also it him before the puck went in the net, ballard was finishing his check, he didn't know if max scored

[Sabresbro1]

it was a cheap hit the shot was well gone when he got hit and then Rivet cleaned house

[Iamhockey08]

ballard isn't cheap, horton did most of it, plus ballard is way smaller than rivet

[Mhockey1505]

ballard didn't hold up one bit..

that would've been a charge if max didn't shoot that damn thing.. he skated from the middle of the ice...

got what he deserved if you ask me

[darthlancedan]

Gotta love how Max comes up and celebrates, pure joy on his face for scoring, and then he just turns right into the scrum and starts throwing punches.

[Sabrestrainsfan]

WOO! GO SABRES!!!!!

[fpierre]

Dale Hunter got 21 games for a similar hit that Horton did.

[Mhockey1505]

i don't know about that... i don't think he got him as hard, and it wasn't into the boards...

i wouldn't mind seeing both of them suspended for a couple games to help us pull closer to that 8th spot, though

[scotian1279]

Rivet is a good guy

[as2114eva]

Go sabers that is the type ofphysical play and response they need to bring every time. For whoever wants to call Rivet a pussy you should kill yourself.

[Jaydub16hockey]

awesome fight!!!

[YaWeepyBitch]

Horton is a gutless faggot

[pigpen65]

Very gentlemanly of Rivet to hold up on Ballard. He could have done some major damage to him there if he had wanted to.

[JWild333]

Yeah, and very typical of his "classy" self to pick on a smaller guy. Rivet is such pussy.

[carpandean]

Ballard picked himself by laying a cheap shot on Max while Rivet was on the ice. It's not like the other team (Sabres, here) is going to say "you dirty rat, we're going to get you ... now, let's see, you're what, 5'11, 208? OK, that's about Spacek's size. Go get him, Spacho!" You cheap shot somebody, expect to get beaten by the biggest guy on the ice.

[rbksabresCrazy]

how the fuck is Rivet a pussy. Easily the classiest guy on Buffalo, If Ballard and Horton are going to cheap shot Max, you better expect retaliation. If Martin st louis suckers Kessel, you would call Chara a pussy for giving st. louis a beatdown??????(just an example)

[hockeyman7120]

@pigpen65 rivet is a bitch. he takes cum in his mouth

[speedersean]

@hockeyman7120 fag

[lostcanuck]

horton just lost my respect there...

[lostcanuck]

and ballard, after the second viewing. thanks to rivet for the beating!

[RichardofWindsor]

Am I the only one that can see that it is Ballard taking the late run at Afinogenov? Horton's only involvement was that Ballard bodychecked Afinogenov into him.

The right guy got the right beating that he deserved.

[buttkick22]

ballard hit him first but horton came in even later and finished him off....they were both dirty on the play

[Iamhockey08]

ballard isn't afraid of anyone, i give him credit for that!

[seehound619]

nor is he afraid to lay on a good CHEAP SHOT....and he got beat like the bitch he was.....fuck ballard....and horton.... good job rivet.

[Ray32]

Like Internet and youtube. From Montreal we saw the news, Sabers help the Habs, brawls begins at the end and stopped it (sucker news) Rivet former habs knock's Ballard :) hahaha

[ghjkfdhgfd]

Hmm?? at first Afinogenov didn't care he was hit, if it wasn't for MacArthur it wouldn't of escalated

[Buffalosabskis]

Great vid. This game reminded me of 05 06. LETS GO BUFFALO!!!!!!!

[ghjkfdhgfd]

Wow you posted this early..........good good(in evil voice)

[bleedingums13]

1st.

And fuck Horton.

[seehound619]

your g/f told me you are ALWAYS first.