Balinskis on knocking out Sharks forward: teammates liked the moment

Uvis Balinskis, a Latvian defenseman with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL), North America's top ice hockey league, knocked out San Jose Sharks forward Colin Graf in a fight in his first game of the season. He spoke about it on the Freeby podcast, saying that more than a month has passed but teammates still mention the incident.

How the fight started

Balinskis missed Florida's season opener and was added to the lineup for the second game, against the Sharks. In the neutral zone he delivered a hit on Swedish player Ivar Stenberg, picked second overall in this summer's draft. An opposing player then jumped on the defenseman.

"I understood I had to fight and didn't think much beyond that," Balinskis said. He admitted he had never been in a situation like it in his career. In his words, the player who stepped in was not the right one, since he is "not a fighter". He described his teammates' reaction briefly: someone mentioned it after the period and after the game, and "the guys liked that moment".

The next meeting

Florida's next game against the Sharks is scheduled for February 21. Balinskis expects opponents to pay him extra attention and for someone to want to fight him. He said that during the game Darnell Nurse had already told him he was ready to fight again.

An irregular role in the lineup

The team has played 16 games so far, and Balinskis has appeared in eight of them, recording one assist. He admitted such a role is not easy, but said it is easier this season than last, because he knew the situation would repeat. The key, he said, is to go into games with a clear head. Coaches do not often approach players, but the day before the game against Chicago they told him to be ready to play.