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Matthew Barnaby must serve 500 hours of community service to drop charges

BARNABY

FILE - This Feb. 15, 2005, file photo shows Chicago Blackhawks’ Matthew Barnaby talking to the media after a pickup hockey game with other NHL players, in Amherst, N.Y. ESPN analyst and former NHL player Matthew Barnaby will have to complete 500 hours of community service to have charges dropped stemming from an argument he had with his estranged wife in May. A court clerk says State Supreme court Justice Deborah Haendiges issued the order during a hearing in Buffalo on Wednesday, July 6, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

AP

It looks like former NHL player and current ESPN/TSN analyst Matthew Barnaby is on the way to wiping the slate clean. The ex-Buffalo Sabres forward made headlines after a domestic disturbance in May, forcing him to plead not guilty to five charges (including felony mischief) and he was also issued two protective orders.

The Buffalo News reports that the charges could be dropped if he completes 500 hours of community service within one year and continues anger management counseling. It is unclear what Barnaby will do for that community service, but the story indicates that Barnaby received about “five times” the amount of service time that most people serve. That being said, things could have been much worse; the area district attorney said that Barnaby “would likely have been deported” if convicted of the worst charges.

Reports indicate that there was no violence toward Barnaby’s ex-wife or her boyfriend. Instead, the Buffalo News indicates that he only did $300 worth of damage to the property by kicking the garage door. Ultimately, it seems to be a minor incident that everyone can move on from soon enough.