Bad Hockey Man Gets Jail Time For Drunkenly Breaking Opponent's Face With His Stick

On May 7, 2016, Ryan Cox was playing in a 3-on-3 tournament at the Fort Erie Leisureplex when he skated in on goal and got his face backed in by a two-handed strike from goalie Todd Ball’s stick. Cox was rushed to the hospital, where he was forced to undergo extensive facial reconstruction surgery. The (non-graphic) incident was captured on CCTV cameras in the stadium.

Ball was charged with aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm for the vicious swat, and this evening, he was convicted of the latter charge and sentenced to 30 days in jail and a year of probation. The judge in charge of the case said that Ball was drunk off his ass during the game and is in counseling.

As for the victim, Cox’s life has been irrevocably changed by the assault. Cox suffered a concussion, a shattered nose, a fractured orbital, and fractures on both sides of his nose. He can’t work and he still has plates holding his face together. For his part, he thinks the court went too easy on Ball:

“He only got 30 days for breaking someone’s face. My life has never been the same.

“I can’t feel my face. It is numb. I get bad headaches. It is hard for me to sleep. I’ve had facial surgeries and reconstructions. The sentence was too lenient. It’s an injustice. It’s ridiculous.”

[ St. Catherine’s Standard]