So living on the West Coast, it seems that we only hear about hockey related brawls or parents getting involved, from Vancouver Island.
This all due to some Parents that fail to understand that it’s about sport and teaching today’s youth about sportsmanship – win or lose!
Well now come the tale of a huge hockey brawl at the conclusion of an Ontario Major Midget Hockey League, with some interesting results, but both Players and Coaches alike.
In no way do I condone a situation such as this and in conversation with some, I hope the league makes public the suspension they hand out to everyone involved.
I know they will say “it’s a league discipline situation, but this should be made public for Hockey Canada to review and also use as a training tool for the officials. http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news.aspx
This situation albeit extremely foolish and uncalled for, should be dealt with in the harshest manner by the Major Midget Hockey League in Ontario – at least we can hope?
A huge line-brawl erupted between the Onaping Falls Huskies Major Midgets in the final seconds of a Tournament Final game in Bradford, Ontario.
The Huskies won, capping an impressive streak of 85-1-1, going back to last season (they were a perfect 36-0-0 in league play this year), but that wasn’t really what people were talking about this week.
Players were talking about the melee on the ice, that saw players leave both benches, as well as have the Coaches exchange punches.
The entire fight was captured on video and (naturally) posted to YouTube, where the clip had received more than 10,000 looks later that evening. Talk about going viral!!
Emile Lavoie President of the Onaping Falls MHA stated “We’re all quite embarrassed about it and it’s nothing we’re proud of, for sure.”
He (Lavoie) was behind the bench when the altercation all started and was working the door as an Assistant Coach.
He continued “the game had been a good one up until the last three minutes, when one of the players on the Mountain Blues team, from the Hamilton area, “took a cheap shot at one of our players.”
That incident isn’t shown in the video, but it “brought the tension up,” said Lavoie, and helps explain the violence that erupted in the final minute.
With the Huskies leading 2-1, the Blues had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, but were pinned in their own end.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock two players started to fight and this is where others jumped in, which were followed multiple fights were going on simultaneously.
The officials eventually restored a semblance of order and began ushering the combatants off the ice, but in the meantime tempers were boiling over between the two coaching staffs.
“The worst thing was when their coach came over to our bench,” said Lavoie. “That’s something in hockey that you never, ever do.”
In the video, an individual from the Blues team can be seen approaching the Huskies bench; he’s then knocked to the ice by a punch to the face from Onaping coach Todd Brown.
Brown said he regrets the action, but said it was a reflex to the Blues coach coming at him first.
“Before we even knew it, he was right in front of my face at our door,” he said. “Next thing you know he took a swing at me, caught me just under the nose and cut me a bit.”
Brown admits he “ended up getting in a better blow” against his adversary, whose nose was bloodied and may have been broken. “That’s the rumour, but I don’t know,” said the Huskies coach.
In retrospect he wishes he hadn’t thrown the punch, but said “it’s the heat of the moment, and you’re not anticipating anything like that will happen — and the next thing it does.”
South Simcoe Police officers were summoned by tournament organizers and interviewed both teams, but no charges were laid, said Brown.
Let me go on record that the game officials for what I saw in the video did a good in controlling the situation, both on and off the ice.
No doubt you will get some “lame brain” say it was all caused by the officials!!!
Just some of the comments that come from this are as follows:
Minor hockey in all needs a reality check. played at a high level all the way through and can barely walk in a rink now.
The way the parents and coaches act is a disgrace. incident was pretty close to being done until the bone headed coach hops on the ice and goes to the other bench.
What are you all thinking. your supposed to be setting and leading by example. whats just as embarrassing is some of the comments that were left. get your faces out of gadgets and everyone check yourselves in the mirror.
