Famous for taking a stick to the head

[Spider-Man NL]

CLEVELAND -- Garrett Stafford wishes he was being interviewed as a San Jose Sharks prospect who played in the All-Star Classic and was a member of the AHL all-rookie team last season. That is part of why the second-year defenceman from Los Angeles is garnering attention, but the main reason he's in such high demand is that he was the target of one of the ugliest incidents in all of sports.

The incident occurred during a Calder Cup playoff game on April 30 at Copps Coliseum. Bulldogs rookie forward Alexander Perezhogin connected with a vicious two-handed slash to the face of Stafford, whose own stick had hit Perezhogin's helmet, which was followed by the retaliation.

"I watched it the same night it happened and I've seen the tape many times," said Stafford, who played his seventh game of the season last night for the Cleveland Barons against the Manitoba Moose. "I didn't remember what happened, I had no idea, so I wanted to know frame-by-frame. I don't really know what triggered Perezhogin. He just snapped. I really can't speculate (how the incident could have been avoided)."

LOST A FEW TEETH

Most who saw footage of the incident are shocked Stafford is back playing the game he fell in love with at the age of six when he watched a Los Angeles Kings practice featuring Bernie Nicholls and Dave Taylor.

He lost a few teeth, had a gash on his cheek and was diagnosed with a grade three concussion.

It was an tough night for Stafford's parents, who were listening to the Bulldogs radio broadcast on the Internet as their son went into convulsions on the ice and was attended to by doctors and paramedics for 15 minutes before he was taken to hospital.

"For a while, it sounded like I was going to die on the ice," said Stafford. "A lot of people got that impression."

Perezhogin was suspended for a year by the AHL, but the Montreal Canadiens prospect is currently playing in Russia for Omsk Avangard.

Stafford says he hasn't been offered an apology by Perezhogin or anyone in the Bulldogs organization. And while he isn't looking for retribution, Stafford said he'd be looking to dish out a clean hit on Perezhogin if the opportunity were to arise.

For his part in the incident, Stafford was given a six-game suspension.

Getting over the post-concussion syndrome was a daunting mental task.

"I felt really tired all the time and had headaches," said Stafford, who burst onto the scene with 12 goals and 46 points in 73 games with Cleveland after attending the Los Angels Kings rookie camp and the Dallas Stars main camp. "Not feeling like myself and not knowing when I'd feel better was probably the hardest part."

Barons head coach Roy Sommer was concerned with how Stafford would respond to the mental toll in the aftermath of the incident.

"You never know how you're going to come back from that," said Sommer. "He's put it behind him and is moving forward. He struggled a bit his first three games but he's starting to find his game.

"He's got a lot of good instincts you can't teach."

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/.../12/710653.html

[Edited on 2004/11/13 by Spider-Man NL]

[Spider-Man NL]

He doesn't know what triggered Perezhogin!!! LOL what a fuc*ing joke. Stafford got supended for a reason too, maybe someone should remind him about the two handed chop he took at Perezhogin's head.

He also said that and I quote "I didn't remember what happened, I had no idea, so I wanted to know frame-by-frame."

Well rewind the tape just a little further you idiot and you'll see what you did.

Stafford says he hasn't been offered an apology by Perezhogin or anyone in the Bulldogs organization.

Thats because he doesn't deserve one.

[Habs13]

He got what he deserved, a mouth full of stick.