AMPA, Fla. (CP) - Tampa rookie defenceman Paul Ranger says suspended Atlanta tough guy
Eric Boulton phoned him over the weekend to apologize for his cheap shot in last Thursday's game.
"He called and felt pretty bad," Ranger told the St. Petersburg Times. "He apologized. I don't think he meant to cheap shot me or anything. It was a natural kind of reaction (from him). I kind of fumbled for the puck, and he tried to catch a piece of me."
Ranger, 21, sustained a Grade 1 concussion and a hairline fracture in his jaw. Ranger said he has seen the hit on tape and doesn't enjoy watching himself "get popped and twist" to the ice.
"If I would have just dropped to the ice it probably wouldn't have been so bad," Ranger told the Tampa Tribune. "But I twisted on the way day and that scared me a little bit."
Ranger has recovered well and could actually play as early as Thursday against New Jersey.