Brawl between player, fan erupts in the stands at Alta. junior game after mom pushed: coach
A junior hockey player in Stony Plain, Alta., has been suspended for eight games after he went into the stands to fight a fan, but his coach says he was defending his mom at the time.
The brawl happened Jan. 21 during a game between the Stony Plain Flyers and the Strathcona Bruins at Glenn Hall Arena west of Edmonton.
Video of the brawl, captured by spectators, shows the Flyers' Nichlas Johnson and a young man in the stands, yelling at each other while two women stand between them.
Johnson, 21, then charges into the stands toward the fan, before the two trade blows.
Other spectators rush to break up the battle, while the two women are shoved aside. In a second video angle, a referee and two linesmen watch from the ice
Johnson's coach, Craig Leibel, admits it's not a good look for his player, but he claims the video doesn't tell the whole story.
"People are seeing a 10-second clip and passing judgement immediately as to reflect on the player, our team, hockey in general. And I just don't think that's necessarily a correct assessment," Leibel said in an interview with CTV News Edmonton.
Leibel claims a group of unnamed spectators actually started the fight.
"We had a group of fans that came in, that I think were kind of, looking to start something. And they had been pretty rowdy in the stands," he explained.
"It escalated to the fan actually pushing (Johnson's) mom…obviously you can imagine what it would be like if you saw your mom being pushed in the stands…he provoked him and off (Johnson) went."
The video is shaky and obstructed, but does not clearly show a woman being shoved by the fan.
'WE ARE VERY DISSAPOINTED'
An RCMP spokesperson said an officer was patrolling the area, but didn't respond to the fight inside the arena.
Johnson, who leads his team in penalty minutes and is among the league leaders with 105 minutes in the box, was suspended five games for going into the stands and three games for "intent to injure."
"The CJHL has suspended the player as per the suspension guidelines of the league. We are very disappointed in the actions of the player involved but will have no further comment," said Larry Lepine, president of the Capital Junior Hockey League.
Leibel said he respects that decision, adding that Johnson will serve his suspension without fighting it, but he wonders why the fan that was involved appears to be facing no consequences.
"Absolutely (Johnson) is going to suffer his consequences for his actions. But what about the fan? What about the person who was provoking the whole thing in the beginning and pushed the mom in the stands? He can walk away."
Through Leibel, CTV News Edmonton asked Johnson for comment but he did not respond.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.