Tampa Bay Goalie Mike Smith Loses His Mind, Tries to Break Aaron Voros

Yesterday, Eric McErlain told us about Forbes Magazine naming the most cost-effective fighters in the National Hockey League. That list, obviously, didn't contain Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Mike Smith. Perhaps next year it should.

During Thursday night's Lightning-Rangers game at the Garden, which the Rangers won 5-2, Smith flipped his lid, presumably because he was tired of Aaron Voros hanging out in front of his crease. After hacking Voros across the leg with his stick, and giving him two shots squarely in the back, Smith decided it was time to drop his glove and blocker and start wailing on the Rangers forward.

Voros, who evidently isn't the brightest bulb in the room, decided to counter by throwing a couple of punches directly into the goalie mask of Smith. As he skated towards the penalty box he could seen shaking his hand, as if to say, "ouch, that really hurt."

Here's the video, in all of it's ridiculous glory.


In the end, Smith was hit with nine minutes in penalties for his meltdown, while the Rangers eventually got the last laugh when Chris Drury scored his third goal of the night on the ensuing power plays.

Frankly, I'm not sure what possessed Smith to go all Bobby Clarke on Voros. Sure, Voros was probably being a pest in front, but that's what forwards do. It's not like he was frantically waiving his arms in the air like a certain Sean Avery once did. He was, from what I could see, simply parking himself in front of the net acting as a screen. Hey, Mike, it happens.