A KHL preseason game between Barys Astana and HC Kunlun Red Star was canceled today after Barys defenseman Damir Ryspayev delivered a cheap shot to a Kunlun player and fought several others.




Three minutes into the first period, Ryspayev hit Tomáš Marcinko when he wasn’t looking. Both teams’ players tied up to fight on the ice, and when Marcinko didn’t get up, Ryspayev took advantage of the lack of enthusiasm and moved on to fight more Red Star players. After those half-hearted fights, Ryspayev jumped into the bench and tried to throw more punches:


Ryspayev has recorded no points and 194 penalty minutes in 23 KHL games, but this transcends the behavior of a regular goon. Punching unwilling opponents and dragging them around the ice is barbaric, and considering Ryspayev doesn’t have the skill to even fight correctly, he shouldn’t be playing the sport.



The league announced today that Ryspayev would be suspended for the rest of the preseason: