Ugly Media-Athlete Confrontations

After taking himself out of Game 3 of a 1997 playoff series against Ottawa, sore-kneed goalie Dominik Hasek was incensed when a column by the Buffalo Evening News' Jim Kelley questioned his mental toughness and revealed details of his strained relationship with Sabres coach Ted Nolan. After a Game 5 loss, Hasek yelled at Kelley, shoved him and ripped his shirt before the fracas was broken up. Hasek was suspended three games and fined $10,000 by the NHL. "I didn't think the column was worthy of such an over-the-top reaction, but it was a volatile time inside the [Sabres'] organization," recalled Kelley, who now writes for SI.com. "Hasek gave a pro-forma apology because he was forced to by the league. I knew from the first word it wasn't real. He did say years later to a reporter from Buffalo [Bucky Gleason] that in hindsight he was sorry he did it. This time I believed him."