Dare to Desaturate?- Capitols vs Youngstown, 2-8-2015

Predominately, sports photography is done in color. Very rarely do you see a sports image in Black & White or Colorized. So why did I desaturate the red and orange, of this photo, in HSL?  It was because there was a distracting red and orange light reflecting in the background and on the ice. I found this picture more effective partially desaturated, because (1) it removed the distraction and (2) gave a cool, monochromatic mood to the photograph.  So, when is the last time you tried to desaturate a sports photo?