Released Hull Stingrays forward Derek Campbell today spoke for the first time since his release from the club and subsequent 47 game ban.
In a lengthy interview featured with the Hull Daily Mail - which can be read in full here - he said:
"I thought the hit was unnecessary and 'dirty'. It could have been even worse, but I saw him at the last second and I tensed up.
"I was extremely upset at the time, but 100 per cent regret what I did in front of fans and little children who were watching the game. I'm a person who plays on emotions, but it's no excuse. As a father of a little girl, I can only apologise to any little girl or boy who was watching and to any fan who felt offended."
"I'm disappointed to be leaving. I want to make it clear there are no hard feelings between me and Hull Stingrays, or Bobby McEwan (team owner) and Sylvain Cloutier (the club's coach). They have talked to me. I think we respect each other well enough. From a business perspective the decision had to be made."
"I am really disappointed because I wanted to finish first in the Conference and get back to Nottingham for the play-off semi-finals."
"I like Hull, especially Jason Silverthorn, I think we have pretty good chemistry on the ice. Jereme Tendler is another fellow I really get on with, and Sylvain Cloutier. I'm really disappointed not to finish the season with them.
The Hull Stingrays today released import forward Derek Campbell with immediate effect following an off-ice incident in the Stingrays 2-1 loss to the Dundee Stars on Saturday. Shortly after being released by the club, the Elite Ice Hockey League announced that Campbell had been banned for a total of 47 games following a review of the incident.
The 33 year old - who had been one of the club's standout players so far this season - received a match penalty for excessive roughness 54.55 into the game and was ejected having reacted to a hit from Dundee forward Nico Sacchetti - who received a game misconduct for boarding on the hit and was also ejected.
Having both been ejected, Campbell then decided against heading straight to the changing room in order to confront Sacchetti again, this time off-ice close to the Dundee dressing room. An altercation subsequently broke out with the unsavory incident seeing some fans caught up in the middle attempting to break it up.
Campbell was given an automatic one game suspension after receiving the match penalty for excessive roughness as per Elite League rules, ruling him out of the return leg in Dundee on Sunday - which the Stingrays lost 3-2.
However, the Stingrays have today decided to release the player following his actions.
On releasing Campbell - who had recorded four goals and six assists in 12 games this season - Stingrays owner and assistant coach Bobby McEwan said:
"I just felt we had to make the decision, and not let it drag on until the end of the week, so I called Derek and let him know. What he did on the ice in reaction to the challenge is part and parcel of the game, but I can't condone what happened off it, it's a business decision."
McEwan revealed to BBC Radio Humberside Campbell's reaction to the decision to release him:
"He's very disappointed and he understands it was a decision that we just had to make."
The EIHL launched reviews of both the on-ice and off-ice incident on Saturday and have subsequently today banned Campbell for a total of 47 games.
The 47 game ban comprises of 15 games for fighting off-ice, 12 games for an attempted eye-gouge, 10 games for a knee to the head and a further 10 games for excessive force to the head resulting in impact to the ice.
Upon announcing the ban, Elite League Head of Discipline Moran Hanson said:
"There are many aspects to this serious incident and that is why I have broken it down into separate sections. I have studied the game tape in great detail and I have spoken with the three officials, who all were able to give me detailed reports. This is a very nasty incident and there is no place for any of these actions in our sport."
It is believed that the Stingrays were unaware of the length of Campbell's ban prior to releasing him today. However, if they had chosen to keep him on the roster, he would return from his ban on Saturday 15th March, ironically, against the Dundee Stars.
The last question remaining from the whole incident is now whether Campbell's ban applies to both he and one of the Stingrays import roster spots he filled or whether the ban remains only with the player should he ever return to the Elite League.
As the Stingrays have chosen to release Campbell from his contract it is thought that they will be able to replace him with a further import forward should they chose to, though this has yet to be confirmed by the club or the league. Sheffield's David Simms has suggested on Twitter that the Stingrays would have to play an import short for the full 47 game term but could appeal to the other nine Elite League clubs if they wished to replace Campbell. They would then have the final say on whether the ban applied to the import slot or not.
As it stands, it seems highly likely the ban may have marked the end of the Canadian's career, if not at least his career in the Elite League - which spanned over eight seasons, five clubs, 346 games, 110 goals, 224 assists, 334 points and, perhaps most memorably for some of the wrong reasons, 1434 penalty minutes.
The Elite League have confirmed that Stingray forwards Curtis Huppe and Adam Knight have each been banned for five games for their parts in the chaotic scenes at the end of the Stingrays 5-2 Challenge Cup defeat in Cardiff.
28 year old Knight automatically received a two match ban after being handed two game penalties, for fighting in the last two minutes and travesty of game, by referee Dean Smith. That was extended to five games by the Elite League because the Canadian failed to go straight to the dressing room after being ejected from the game, resulting in the ensuing off-ice fight with Voth. Like Kozak and Voth last year, he also has a six game suspended ban hanging over his head, meaning that, if he incurs another Travesty of Game penalty this season, he will be automatically forced to miss six further games.
Player-assistant coach Huppe, who threw a stick from the Stingrays bench into the Devils bench in a javelin motion, will also be banned for a combined five games after being handed one game for throwing an object and a further four games due to the reckless nature of the incident.
The Canadian sniper told the Hull Daily Mail:
"I do regret what I did and it was out of character – I am not that type of player. It was done in the heat of the moment and I know I shouldn't have done it. I am disappointed, though, I was not allowed to give the league my version of events and have my say. Adam Knight was getting hit by some of their players' sticks and I just wanted to distract them although I know what I did wasn't the right thing to do."
For the Devils, Brad Voth has been given a five game ban, with a further six games suspended, whilst Scott Romfo, Mike Hartwick and Max Birbraer will also sit out Saturdays game with Sheffield after getting single game bans.
The Stingrays pair will miss Elite League games against Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast as well as Challenge Cup ties with Coventry and Nottingham.
Various media reports suggest that Stingrays forwards Curtis Huppe and Adam Knight have been banned for five games each for their parts in Sunday's brawl in Cardiff.
Knight had automatically been given a two match ban for receiving a double match penalty in South Wales, however a further review of the game has seen that extended to five games with Huppe also suspended for five games.
Stingrays captain Jeff Glowa should lineup this weekend in the Rays fixtures against Edinburgh, in the Elite League, and Coventry, in the Challenge Cup.
The 33 year old was injured early in the Stingrays hectic fixture in Wales on Sunday night after a Tylor Michel check, which was penalised with a 2+10 for checking from behind, left him with the early effects of concussion.
Although perhaps not 100% fit, Glowa is confident that the injury won't be enough to keep himself out of this weekends games.
He said: "After it happened I had a headache and wobbly legs and didn't think it was safe to go back out there. I did not feel comfortable. I am going to skate today and I will have a couple of visits to the chiropractor but it shouldn't keep me out of next weekend."
Further suspensions pending
After the unsavoury events that marred the end of the Stingrays 5-2 Challenge Cup loss in Cardiff on Sunday night, coach Sylvain Cloutier is awaiting further news from the Elite League regarding the suspensions of at least one of his squad.
Cardiff v Stingrays, Sunday night incident
Whilst Adam Knight and Cardiff's Brad Voth will automatically sit out their next two games (v Edinburgh and in Coventry for Knight), as a result of receiving a double match penalties in the final minutes of the game, speculation suggests Curtis Huppe may also receive a ban for his actions in the brawl.
Cloutier said, "both teams played hard, it was very competitive, it was intense and stuff happened in the heat of the moment. I don't want to say too much but we will have to wait to see what the league say."
The Elite Leangue are currently holding an investigation into the incident, to review whether further punishment is required and their findings are expected within the next week.
Both sides have previous with regards to opening weekend incidents. In the Rays first away game last season, Rick Kozak was banned for a total of ten games after he left Nottingham's Marc Levers needing stitches in his forehead, whilst Voth was involved with Sheffield's Andrew Sharp on the same day last season and received a 12 game suspension.
Mitchell goes under the knife
Forward Lee Mitchell will undergo surgery on his troublesome right knee tomorrow. The Brit, entering his fifth season with the Stingrays, has been kept out of action for the team so far this season after feeling pain in the knee during early pre-season training sessions.
The injury, which was feared to be ligament damage, was confirmed as a tear on his meniscus after an MRI scan last week and is likely to keep him out of action for at least another week. That time frame, however, does look optimistic given that he was forced to sit an extended period of time a year and a half ago with an injury to the same knee.
Five goal weekend seals player of the week for Kalmikov
Coming of the back of a weekend in which the Rays split two highly fought and controversial games with the Cardiff Devils, one player stood out for all the right reasons.
Konstantin Kalmikov has started this season as he finished the last...in form, scoring five of the Stingrays six goals in the doubler header, including a hat-trick on Saturday night to steal the team's first win of the season.
The Ukrainian forward last season netted 25 times in 48 games and won the player of the week award for the first time in mid-January. He continues to push his case as one of the Stingrays purest ever finishers and one of the best players in the team's five year existence, his goalscoring exploits will have to continue if the team is to be successful this year.
The Stingrays £2000 appeal to lower the 10 game ban given to power forward and key player, Rick Kozak, has been dismissed by the EIHL disciplinary comittee.
The EIHL have released the following press release:
"The Elite Ice Hockey League after further review of the findings of the Disciplinary Committees and Appeal Committee today released the outcome of the cases involving Rick Kozak, Hull Stingrays, and Brad Voth, Cardiff Devils.
The 2008/09 hockey season commenced with significant suspensions being issued to the above players as a consequence of incidents during the first weekend games involving Nottingham Panthers v Hull Stingrays and Cardiff Devils v Sheffield Steelers on Sunday 7th September.
The outcome is that Rick Kozak is suspended with immediate effect for 10 games. Should he be involved in a similar incident during the current season he would automatically serve an additional suspension of 10 games.
Brad Voth is immediately suspended for 12 games and again should a similar incident occur in the current season he would automatically serve an additional suspension of 12 games.
Ice Hockey is an extremely fast and physical sport, which has been played in the UK for over 100 years. An integral part of the sport is the use of enforcers and consequently fights do occur. Fans in the UK have always enjoyed supporting their player in the event of an altercation during a game.
The league has regulations in place for dealing with any incident of when two willing combatants engage in fighting. The league however also has regulations designed to safeguard all players in the form of a suspension tariff, should any player act in an unwarranted manner.
The suspension tariff’s were established by the club coaches and accepted by the league without alteration.
League Chairman Eamon Convery advised, “No one wishes to see player’s suspended, however if a player acts in a manner which is contrary to the league regulations they will find themselves subjected to disciplinary action. These are stiff suspensions, which ought to act as a clear warning to players, coaches and clubs. ”
“The message is simple, play hard and fair in accordance with the rules and normal standards and everyone will enjoy the hockey season. However act in a manner that is unacceptable and you will be punished. In addition the current processes need to reviewed, which has already commenced, with a view to making recommendations when the clubs meet on 7th October”. "
Therefore Stingray Kozak, who played last weekend against Belfast pending an appeal, will have to sit it out for 10 games with a further 10 games sitting over his head. Contrary to some theories it is thought that the Stingrays management see Kozak as an integral part of their team this season, and therefore will stick by him during the ten game ban.
The Elite League has banned Rick Kozak (and incidentally Cardiffs Brad Voth) for lengthy amounts of time after incidents which occured last weekend.
Kozak has been handed a 10 game ban (plus 10 games suspended) whilst Voth has been given 12 games (with a further 12 suspended).
Kozak was involved in an altercation with Nottinghams Marc Levers which resulted in Levers requiring 25 stitches to his forehead. Kozak, who is entering his first season in Britain, was officially given 6 games for sucker punching an opponent and 4 games for bringing the game into disrepute.
An Elite league official had this to say in an official press release:
"Ice hockey is a very physical sport as everyone is well aware, and occasionally tempers flare and there are flashpoint incidents. However, the games last Sunday saw incidents that we feel are beyond what is the normally acceptable in terms of physical contact and we felt the need to adjudicate strongly.”
"A lot of discussion took place over the summer recruiting period about teams bringing in players to ‘entertain’ and we have no problem with that philosophy. We are a professional sport however, also acknowledge that we are all in the entertainment business but, there are limits to what is and what is not acceptable. After extensive video review, the incidents involving both Rick Kozak and Brad Voth have been deemed as being unacceptable, and it is our duty to ensure that we send a message to all the clubs, the coaching staff and all the players as to what will not be tolerated.”
He will return to action against the Newcastle Vipers on the 25th October, although the Hull Daily Mail is already speculating that there will be an appeal to shorten the ban.
The Elite League has set the tone with these two bans, which it is hoped, will deter any further incidents. All said and done, Kozaks ban is a huge blow (albeit probably a fair one) to the Stingrays hopes this season. To view the eventful game from last Sunday v Nottingham, tune in to Sky Sports 3 on Friday 12th September for the full game, re-live.
