Barys Astana defenseman Damir Ryspayev, who gained infamy around the world for his shocking one-man rampage during a KHL preseason game, has received a lifetime ban from the Russia-based pro hockey league. The Kazakhstani defenseman had been suspended indefinitely while the KHL reviewed the incident which occurred in a game against expansion club Kunlun Red Star on Aug. 8.
Three minutes into that game, Ryspayev brawled with multiple Red Star players after starting the whole thing by sucker-punching Kunlun forward Tomas Marcinko, who was injured. He then pulled three other unsuspecting players into fights on the ice before trying to challenge the entire Red Star bench before being pulled away by some of his teammates. That game was called after Kunlun's coach pulled his team off the ice.
Ryspayev's actions quickly went viral as word spread on social media and videos made their way to YouTube and Twitter.
This is the "brawl" that caused Barys/Kunlun to end after 3 minutes. Damir Ryspayev should be banned from hockey. pic.twitter.com/b6OpcuUf5i
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) August 8, 2016
"It goes without saying that hockey is a contact sport. But above all, it is a fair contest in which rival players are guided by the rules of the game and spirit of sporting ethics," said Gennady Timchenko, who serves on the KHL's Council of Directors, in a statement on the league's English website. "The league acts as a guarantor of these rules and laws, and cannot allow them to be systematically and grotesquely violated. It is utterly unacceptable to intentionally endanger the safety and fitness of opposing players. Every player's professionalism is demonstrated by the ability to play a hard, uncompromising game while maintaining full respect for fellow sportsmen and their fans."
"In hockey there has always been space for a fair fight between equal opponents under the principles of fair play. But in hockey, as in any other professional sport, the can be no place for the outright violence displayed by Barys defenseman Damir Ryspayev in the game against KHL newcomer Kunlun Red Star," KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko said in a statement. "We are constantly working to attract a new audience and broaden the game's geographical reach and Ryspayev's behavior is not merely harmful in a sporting context, it also blackens the image of the league. As directors of the league, we could not allow this incident to go unpunished and so we have taken this decision."
According to the KHL, Ryspayev's ban extends to working with a team in a corporate context as well.
The league also said in its announcement of the ban that it took note that none of the Barys Astana staff took adequate measures to stop Ryspayev from doing what he did. It did not say if any additional action will be taken against the team.
For Ryspayev, a lifetime ban from the league is pretty significant. He is only 21 years old, meaning he very well could have played a number of years in the league. That said, his skill set relegated him more to goon duty anyway.
In the 23 games he played over the last two seasons in the KHL, he had zero points. Meanwhile, he racked up 194 penalty minutes over that short span. After his actions in the preseason game against Kunlun, it couldn't have been all that difficult a decision. Clearly the league was supremely embarrassed by the incident.
There are other leagues he can play in, but Ryspayev will now never be able to reach the top level of professional hockey in Europe ever again, and rightfully so.
