Kazakh hockey star Damir Ryspayev has been
indefinitely suspended from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL) after attempting to fight the entire lineup of an opposing team
during a pre-season matchup on Tuesday.
Ryspayev's
bold assault on the roster of the Kunlun Red Stars began just
three minutes into the match. The brawl began with “a snide punch by
Barys forward Ryspayev on Red Star’s Tomas Marcinko,” according to an
official KHL statement announcing Ryspayev's suspension on Wednesday.
The
Kazakh player's assault quickly spread from player to player until he
ran out of targets on the ice. Ryspayev then charged the Red Stars' bench,
jumping in to continue the fight single-handed against the remainder of
the team.
The
KHL statement noted “that Ryspayev has been a serial offender ... in
spite of previous disciplinary sanctions from the League and a stern
warning issued to the player in January of this year.” He has been
suspended indefinitely, pending further league investigation into his
behavior.
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