Burnaby Dad Charded

Playoffs are a time of year when every sports fan can lose themselves with all the excitement in the air from pro to amateur, but going above that makes one wonder?

There is more excitement in a do-or-die scenario than there is with just a regular season game as all the excitement of the post-season kicks off and so can the yelling, screaming, and in many cases profanity from so-called parents.

We often ask ourselves the question in these cases, how far, is too far and what is enough and where will it stop at before someone gets injured or worse yet seriously hurt.

Terri Litt found out the hard way, that getting out of hand off the ice, can land you in very hot water. Litt has been accused of threatening a teammate of his son, who plays for the Burnaby Winter Club hockey program.

After his son’s team lost their playoff game at Karen Magnussen Arena to the North Vancouver Atom 1 team, on February 21^st, 201

Litt proceeded to the Burnaby locker room, and allegedly uttered threats of death and bodily harm to a 10-year-old teammate of his son.

RCMP were called to the scene and exchanged words with the fired up father, eventually leading to the charges laid against him.

On March 28, an arrest warrant was issued for Litt, who turned himself in Tuesday, making his first appearance in B.C. Provincial Court in North Vancouver.

Litt and his lawyer, Phil Riddell both refused to comment on the situation, and Burnaby Winter Club General Manager Len McNeely has not made a statement, other than to confirm that the altercation had in fact take place.

Litt may be the one facing the charges, but it must be said that it is the children who really suffer when things like this happen. Hockey arenas across B.C. have put up signs in their facilities reading

“It’s Just a Game” and “Hockey is for the Kids”, in an effort to stop parents from acting out in the stands while their kids are on the ice. A measure that appears too small in some cases, which is why authorities were forced to step in this time.

Should incidences like this continue to occur, many have suggested setting in place a rule that suspends the player on the team from participating, should their family member lash out.

This solution once again, forces the player to suffer the consequences, rather than the perpetrator.