8:08 PM: Update folks, the high and mighty league overlords have decreed from on high! As per the latest tweet storm from the Department of Player Safety, guess what? William Lockwood’s been slapped with a three-game timeout. Yup, that’s right, the Florida Panthers’ wingman is officially in the NHL’s naughty corner.
11:38 AM: So, here’s the skinny on last night’s shenanigans: The Panthers’ very own William Lockwood decided to play bumper cars with Minnesota’s beloved goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. I mean, Fleury was just minding his own business behind the net, probably daydreaming about his next great save, and WHAM! Along comes Lockwood. It’s no shocker that the Department of Player Safety’s spidey senses were tingling—they’ve got a hearing booked faster than you can say “goalie interference.”
This all went down before the popcorn was even warm, barely two minutes and fifteen seconds into the showdown. What does Billy Lock do? He scoops up a minor penalty for goalie interference, followed by another for roughing, because why not double dip? Then, for his encore, he decides it’s time to dance with Brandon Duhaime. It’s like Lockwood was trying to set a record for the shortest cameo ever, clocking in his evening at just twenty-six seconds of fame and a generous nine minutes in the sin bin. Fleury, on the other hand, tried to stick it out but ultimately bailed with an “upper-body injury” before the second half. Drama much?
Now, Lockwood, he’s had a bit of a banner year—suiting up for a grand total of twenty-three games with the Panthers and hugging that fourth line like a long-lost love. His ice time? An ungodly average of just over eight minutes, but hey, he snagged an assist, so there’s that. This whole disciplinary dance? It’s a first for the twenty-five-year-old. Fines or suspensions were like unicorns to him until now—a myth spoken of in hushed tones in the locker room.