For many Tampa Bay Lightning fans, it almost seemed cruel. Despite previous precedent of John Tortorella - their former Stanley Cup-winning coach, by the way - receiving a one-game suspension for a fairly similar incident, Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton didn’t receive supplemental discipline for his water bottle-throwing transgression.
Well, at least it seemed that way.
Joe Haggerty reports that the NHL fined Horton for throwing a water bottle at Lightning fans following Boston’s loss in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The total amount of the fine has not been disclosed, however.
That’s probably small solace for Lightning fans who called for his suspension, especially since Horton ended up scoring Game 7’s only goal. For better or worse, the league did acknowledge that moment, though.
Of course, this controversy obscures the real evil in this story: noisemakers handed out at events. I dream of a sporting society without “rally drums,” Thunderstix, vuvuzelas and another sonic sporting scourges. Sadly, it seems like these trends are only building steam rather than running on empty. If you’re like me, you shudder to think about the obnoxious, noisy future of sports.
I guess that’s why high-definition televisions exist though, right?
