Maybe they were right: Hockey and politics don’t mix.

They certainly didn’t a couple of weeks ago, when the Philadelphia Flyers invited Sarah Palin to drop the ceremonial first puck, and then promptly lost to the Rangers. But at least they didn’t lose a starting goaltender, like the St. Louis Blues did after they hosted the Republican VP candidate in their barn last night:

Before the game, Blues goalie Manny Legace tripped on a carpet laid out for Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to drop the ceremonial first puck.

“I went to go step on the ice and the [Scottrade Center security] guy goes, ‘Watch the carpet,’ and he had his foot there holding it, so I figured it would be safe to step on,” Legace said. “If he’s holding it and I figured the other end’s pretty much secure, I was just worrying about the carpet slipping [forward]. As soon as I went to step down, he took his foot off the carpet. As soon as I stepped on the carpet, the carpet just shot out and my leg kept going and my other one was still on the bench. I felt it pull right away.”

Legace played the first period but the left hip flexor injury obviously affected his play. He gave up two goals on 12 shots and was replaced by St. Louis native Ben Bishop at the start of the second period.

So now, the Palin Curse has a body count. And the Blues did lose the game, 4-0. Considering that Missouri is, indeed, a swing state (why else would Palin make this pitstop?), the GOP better hope the pissed-off hockey fan demographic isn’t enough to throw those Electoral College votes into the Obama column.