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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 19, 2002
CALGARY -- A man who climbed onto the ice wearing only red socks drew mostly laughter and pity when he fell on his back during Thursday's Flames game against the Bruins. But others weren't amused and raised questions about security at arenas.
The unidentified man climbed over the glass next to the penalty box, then hit his head when he fell. After a six-minute delay, he was taken off on a stretcher to a loud ovation. Having regained consciousness, he pumped his hands in the air.
"I felt bad for him, the poor guy. I thought he'd broken his neck," Flames goalie Jamie McLennan said after the teams tied at 3. "It was more comedic relief for everyone."
The man was kept overnight at a hospital, and charges were pending, said Inspector Peter Jackson of the Calgary Police Service.
Still, the episode angered Flames coach Greg Gilbert.
"Security around the National Hockey League's been bolstered, and it's a rare occurrence, but it's something we don't condone," he said Friday. "It's not only silly but it's dangerous, as was proved (Thursday) night."
BLUE JACKETS: Defenseman Radim Bicanek was sent to Syracuse of the American Hockey League.
BRUINS: Goaltender John Grahame and forward Martin Lapointe are out indefinitely with injuries. Grahame separated his right shoulder in Wednesday's 6-3 win over Vancouver. Lapointe broke a foot in Thursday's game.
THRASHERS: Defenseman Chris Tamer was activated from injured reserve and defenseman Uwe Krupp (back spasms) went on IR.
DEVILS 3, PREDATORS 2 (OT): Patrik Elias scored the winning goal 1:16 into overtime for host New Jersey. He took a feed from Scott Gomez and drove around defenseman Francis Bouillon, who dived to block the shot. The puck deflected off Bouillon's stick past goalie Mike Dunham. Elias was called for playing with an illegal stick late in the third period and Andreas Johansson scored on the ensuing power play with 1:59 left to force overtime.
CANUCKS 2, MIGHTY DUCKS 2: Todd Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the game with 5:06 left in the third for visiting Vancouver, offsetting two goals by Anaheim's Paul Kariya.