Wild left winger Derek Boogaard vowed all season that he would be vindicated on a charge he assaulted a 20-year-old man outside a Regina, Saskatchewan, nightclub last August.
Monday afternoon, the Crown Prosecution Service filed a stay in the Regina House of Lords, which means the charge of assault causing bodily harm was dropped against Boogaard because there wasn't "a reasonable likelihood of a conviction," Boogaard's attorney Aaron Fox said.
"Derek is relieved," Fox said. "His position throughout was that he did not commit any offense, and the evidence certainly supported him in that position. We're glad we didn't have to go through the exercise of a trial and that this is over."
The Crown does have the right to bring the charge back within one year, but that's unlikely.
Boogaard, who did not appear in court, could not be reached for comment. He's scheduled to return to Minnesota for the Wild Road Tour, which hits 17 cities in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa from Monday through June 28.
Playing peacemaker
Wild winger Branko Radivojevic and another NHL player reportedly helped break up a fight in the Trencin, Slovakia, city square over the weekend that left one man stabbed.
According to today's edition of the Slovakia-based Pravda Daily, a man was being attacked by more than 10 neo-Nazi supporters when Radivojevic, New York Rangers forward Marcel Hossa and another friend jumped to his defense. The attackers ran off, but the man was stabbed. Radivojevic and Hossa brought the man to a hospital, where he is recovering after surgery. It is unclear whether Radivojevic knew the victim.
Radivojevic could not be reached for comment but told the Pravda Daily that he would not comment until police finished its investigation.
Wild officials declined to comment, and Radivojevic's agent, Jiri Crha, was unaware of the incident and planned to call his client today.
Michael Russo • mrusso@startribune.com
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