And the award for biggest idiot of 2009 is...

Keith Ballard, when he hit Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vocoun. That might not seem like such a big deal, because everyone gets hit in hockey. The main difference between this hit and others, is that Ballard plays for the Panthers too, and it was with his own stick! Check out the video.

On Monday night, the Panthers played against the Atlanta Thrashers on what I am sure was thought to have been a normal game. In a tie game Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk scored a go-ahead breakaway goal against Vocoun with Ballard trailing not too far behind Kovalchuk. In pure frustration after the goal was scored, Ballard whacked the goal post with his stick, a practice that is not exactly disciplined by the NHL, or any individual teams for that matter. In doing so, Ballard managed to clip the side of the head of his own goaltender, knocking him to the ground in obvious pain. Vocoun then left the game minutes later on a stretcher.

This play is up on the same scale as when Gus Ferotte of the Washington Redskins celebrated a touchdown by slamming his own head into the wall and injuring himself. That bonehead play essentially ended his career that had some promise.

I have wondered for a long time how incidents like these have not happened more often. When I see a football player score a touchdown, then follow it by doing a back flip, I cannot believe that their head coaches do not tell them it is a bad idea. Or when a hockey player scores a goal and celebrates by jumping into the corner board a la Alexander Ovechkin. I would think that there are less risky ways to celebrate. Maybe I'm just old skool.

The only thing that we can hope for now is that Tomas Voucoun is healthy and that he has a quick return to the ice. And that Ballard finds a better way to let out his frustration.