STEELER Simon Ferguson has shrugged off the brutal slash to his chest which felled him when the puck was out of play in the 9-4 win over Nottingham Panthers.
The Sheffield forward was poleaxed by opponent Kelsey Wilson as he skated back to Steelers’ bench after a goal on Thursday. Wilson has now been banned for three games.
VIDEO: See Wilson’s brutal attack on Ferguson and full report- CLICK HERE.
But Ferguson, whose wife gave birth to their son at Jessop Hospital the day before, is laidback about the incident - a sentiment which might be at variance with how the league’s disciplinary panel may have seen the attack.
He told The Star: “It was a pretty interesting weekend. Our first baby and then we got a nice win.
“As for the slash, I didn’t even see it coming and I am pretty banged up in the ribs right now. I know him [Wilson] from playing, [in North America] but we have never fought before. Literally, I don’t even know why he did that.
“He caught me right off guard and kind of adrenaline kicked in, I just went after him, but the pain was just too bad...
“Maybe he thought he would take me out and it would be a smart move for his team? Seen a lot in this game, but to be blindsided like that?” Asked if he would hold a grudge against Wilson he said: “Weird things happen in hockey. I am not going to sit and have a beer with him for a little while.”
Steelers coach Ryan Finnerty said: “We can’t have that in the game.
“Fergy is an in-your-face player, he can bring that out in guys.
“I felt he had a heck of a game considering he had just two hours’ sleep after the birth of his child.”
Asked what he would have done if one of his players had ‘two-handed’ an opponent in that way, Finnery replied: “The last guy who did it was Corey Pecker (who was sacked earlier this season).
“It was not quite to that extent; there is no room for that, Wilson is a tough kid but he doesn’t need to do that. ”
Steelers host Coventry Blaze tomorrow, 5pm.
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