April 29, 2005
Another ugly scene at a sporting event has resulted in an injury to an innocent 7-year-old and a five-game suspension for a Norfolk Admirals rookie defenseman.
Anton Babchuk, 20, was suspended for throwing a water bottle into the stands Saturday during Game 2 of the East Division semifinal series against the Philadelphia Phantoms at the Wachovia Center. The bottle struck Billy Rouse of Ridley Park, Pa., in the face as he sat six rows behind the Norfolk bench. Rouse's father, Bill, told the Delaware County Times that four fans behind him and his son heckled Babchuk before the player twice faked throwing the bottle before letting it fly.
"It hit my son square in the head, about an inch above the left eye," Rouse said. "It left a bruise and a pretty big lump, the size of an egg. ... [My son] is more shook up than hurt, and I can tell you he was really scared after it happened because he wouldn't let go of me. It doesn't deter me from going to another game, but I asked my son if he wanted to go to another game and he said no. That upsets me."
Rouse said he "responded foolishly" by throwing a partially full cup of soda at Babchuk before other fans threw things. Rouse filed a complaint with arena officials, retained attorney Jerry Dugan and is considering pressing charges. But Dugan told the Delaware paper he's not trying to jeopardize the U.S. visa status of Babchuk, a Ukrainian, and sent a letter to the Admirals asking them to stop trying to contact the Rouses.
The Phantoms won the game 3-0 and have a 3-1 lead in the series. But losers abound, just as with the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons fans during their hideous brawl in November. Before the AHL took action Wednesday, the Admirals suspended Babchuk, the Chicago Blackhawks' first-round pick in 2002 who was named to the PlanetUSA All-Star team this season.
Norfolk coach Trent Yawney, who has a 7-year-old son, said the team missed Babchuk, but despite the defenseman being pelted with debris and a cup of tobacco spittle hitting one of the Admirals, there's "a bigger fish to fry."
"He's got to learn, and he's got to pay for his lack of discipline," Yawney told The Virginian-Pilot. "You get in a situation like that, and you don't know what you're doing is I guess what happened. But you've got to be able to control yourself and take it. Anton feels bad about it and wishes he could take it back."
Old Ties, New Ties
Wolf Pack coach Ryan McGill and Calgary Flames assistant Jim Playfair renewed acquaintances last week for the first time in four years. They were teammates on the Indianapolis team that won the IHL's Turner Cup in 1990.
"We had a heck of a team, including 10 guys who played in the NHL," said Playfair, rattling off the likes of McGill and the goalie tandem of Jim Waite and ESPN commentator Darren Pang.
Playfair led the defunct Saint John Flames to the Calder Cup in 2001, a year after the Pack won their only AHL title. Midway through the 2002-03 season, Playfair became an assistant in Calgary, which shared the Lowell affiliation with Carolina before the Flames moved the dormant Saint John franchise to Omaha, Neb., for next season.
That was part of a multicity change that likely isn't finished and should leave the AHL with 29 teams. Lowell and Hershey announced new affiliations Tuesday. Carolina will have a dual affiliation in Lowell with Colorado, which ended ties with Hershey last month. The Bears will be the AHL home of Washington after the Capitals left Portland. Anaheim is said to be leaving Cincinnati for Portland.
"Lots of teams are moving around, but our preference was to continue to split with somebody," said Carolina vice president and assistant general manager Jason Karmanos, son of Carolina and former Whalers owner Peter Karmanos. "With Calgary going to Omaha, we needed to find a new partner, and we've always had a good relationship with the Avalanche organization."
Colorado has to provide nine skaters and a goalie with NHL rosters expected to drop from 18 skaters to 17 when the lockout ends. The Avalanche likely will put an assistant in Lowell under Tom Rowe. Lowell assistant Scott Allen, employed by Calgary, is a top candidate for the Omaha job.
Shootouts Have Effect
The AHL's new shootout rule didn't cost a team a playoff spot, but it did affect the final standings, as most coaches feared.
Norfolk finished third in the East Division, a point ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, because of one more shootout victory (5-4). If the teams had tied, the Penguins would have been third because of a 7-1-2 record against the Admirals, meaning WB/S would have played Philadelphia and Norfolk would have faced Binghamton.
In the North Division, St. John's got a share of second place with Manitoba because of nine shootout victories to the Moose's three. Then the Maple Leafs got home-ice advantage against Manitoba because of a 4-3-0-1 record against the Moose.
And if Rochester and Manchester reach the finals, the Americans will have home-ice advantage because of five shootouts to the Monarchs' three. Rochester finished two points ahead of the Monarchs, who would have had the tiebreaker (48 wins to 45).
