As we’ve noted before, Houston Aero fans still remember fondly the days of Derek Boogaard, the gangly, soft-spoken defenseman who – whenever he hit the ice – became a brawling goon.
Boogaard graduated this year to the Aeros’ parent team, the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, where he has again attracted legions of fans eager to see him take on opponents’ tough guys.
For a while, though, it seemed that Boogaard’s fighting wasn’t only being done on the ice. He faced assault charges over an alleged nightclub fight in Regina, Saskatoon last August.
Boogaard repeated told the Minnesota media that he’d be cleared, and he was right: the charges have been dropped.
To be precise – not to mention much more eloquent – the Crown Prosecution Service filed a stay Monday in the Regina House of Lords. Or, as we say in America, Boogaard beat the rap.
The charges always did seem out of character for Boogaard, so fans here can take heart in the good sense of the Crown Prosecution Service. And they can be thankful that you can fight all you want on the ice without getting much more than a five-minute penalty. – Richard Connelly
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2007.
