Ontario Junior Hockey Throwdown
8-Year Old Duffield Devils and Niagara Falls Thunder Emulate Their NHL Heroes
Canada has a reputation for producing the world's toughest hockey players, and if Friday's events in Guelph, Ontario, are any indication, that reputation is safe. And not everyone is happy about it.
After the buzzer sounded to end a game during the opening round of a Novice AAA tournament in Guelph, players on both sides -- who are all of eight years old -- threw down their gloves and went at it. Then the coaches and even some spectators went onto the ice and began screaming, spitting and throwing punches, according to witnesses and police.
Lorne Wollis, a Zamboni driver at Exhibition Park Arena, described the incident as "a black eye for hockey." The Duffield Devils had just finished an 8-1 shellacking of the Niagara Falls Thunder when "all hell broke loose," he said. As sometimes happens at NHL blowouts, once the game's outcome was certain, players on the losing side began getting "chippy," as the announcers say.
Hockey fans are familiar with this "if you can't beat 'em, beat 'em up" strategy. But Wollis said he was "shocked" and "disgusted" to see eight-year-olds behaving that way.
After the Duffield goalie was the recipient of a some cheap shots, Wollis said, he retaliated, shoving an opponent. Then, like miniature Ty Domi's, the youngsters skated, slipped and slided to their teammate's defense, creating a peewee pile up. Police allege that the coaches then instructed the remaining players to leave the bench and join in, which they did.
Eventually the two coaches "had their own little rhubarb going," Wollis said, which quickly went from words to punches. A press release from the Guelph Police Department says that the Niagara coach "spat on" the other coach, and Wollis said that the coaches were "wailing away on each other." Then, he said, a spectator "pushed through the crowd" and jumped in the "mêlée."
With the ice in utter chaos, Wollis threw open the gate and drove his Zamboni onto the battlefield in an attempt to get the players off the ice. "I was just doing my job," he said.
Police soon arrived and order was restored. The department is currently reviewing the video footage -- which amazingly has yet to find its way onto YouTube. According to a spokeswoman, "It does show a physical altercation between the two coaches." Criminal charges may come as soon as today, and a number of suspensions have already been handed down by the Niagara Falls Minor League.
In 33 years of driving a Zamboni, Wollis said, he's never seen kids this young go at it. "What has hockey come to?" he asked. How about this: in professional hockey, fighting is common. So why are we saddened or surprised when younger players emulate their idols?
By Emil Steiner | November 28, 2007; 7:00 AM ET | Category: OFF/beat
Posted by: CJ | November 28, 2007 10:26 AM
This is a disgrace to the game of hockey. The game is supposed to be about sportsmanship not fighting. Shaking hands not throwing punches. Of course an 8 year kid will want to be like his idols. This is why the game popularity is declining
Posted by: | November 28, 2007 11:30 AM
The NHL without fighting would be like Nascar without crashes. They are envitable, but also discouraged. I don't think its unrealistic to expect youngsters to not fight. They have other different rules for checking and highsticking. In under 14 baseball they can't throw fastballs, but could you imagine MLB without that pitch? In college football you only need one foot in bounds to be in. There are different standards at each different level and thats a good thing.
Posted by: crazy beaver | November 28, 2007 11:51 AM
8 year olds dude!
Posted by: | November 28, 2007 11:52 AM
NCAA hockey would be better to emulate instead of the NHL. At least there if you fight you are removed from your team for the rest of the season. Mind you this is Canada and I am pretty sure their college hockey has different rules that allow fighting (or so I assume from watching the Cornell University hockey team's preseason match ups against Canadian teams).
Posted by: | November 28, 2007 12:12 PM
Fighting should not be a part of the juniors game. Having fun and learning a good sportsmanship come first and winning second. Rough stuff dead last.
Posted by: Frank D. | November 28, 2007 12:12 PM
its because they allow fighting in hockey that Canada has such low crime there. Now junior should not be messing with the rough stuff course but young boys will be young boys you know.
Posted by: Kelly | November 28, 2007 12:24 PM
Who won the fight? The news report doesn't say. I know at that age they tell them that everyone's a winner, but come on. DId any kids get laid out? Was there blood? Which coach scored the most head shots?
Posted by: Goonish Mike | November 28, 2007 1:10 PM
Hockey needs fighting if people are going to watch it. This is an expense of having the sport, like catastrophic injuries are to football.
Posted by: | November 28, 2007 1:49 PM
what a bunch of thugs
Posted by: | November 28, 2007 3:55 PM
So much for Canada's no guns free health care state. Looks like they got a little too much Molson in the Gatorade, eh?
Posted by: Shlacker | November 29, 2007 2:37 AM
You can't blame the kids here, but the adults have a lot to answer for. Spitting and punching each other. Thats the example they set. Sure you could see players dropping their gloves in the NHL but you never see the coaches follow suit. This is poor leadership and sets an awful awful example.
Posted by: craig margolis | November 29, 2007 4:52 AM
An NHL enforcer brings home a cool Million per season...Glad to see the 8 year olds realize this!
If they're not lil' Gretzky's in the making, they may as well learn how to fight & still bring home the Canadian Bacon!
Posted by: Billy Holiday | November 29, 2007 2:44 PM
I'd like to know where the referees were in all of this. Did they set the tone of the game by calling appropriate penalties in order to keep control of the game? In my experience, nothing makes parents more angry than to watch dirty cheap shots happen with no consequences. I love an agressive game but it has to be clean hitting. Hopefully the referees association will review the video to assess what they might do better to deter such an atrocity from happening again.
Posted by: Love the game | November 30, 2007 8:36 PM
Enter all the people who know nothing about the game of hockey to use this as a reason why there should be no fighting in hockey.
Granted, they are 8. The coaches should be held responsible.
If you take fighting out of the professional game there will be many more ugly stick incidents and cheapshots leaving players injured
Posted by: Joe | December 2, 2007 4:43 PM
To Joe: What you write doesn't make a lick of sense. If anything fighting causes more cheap shots and injuries not less. Violence breeds violence
Posted by: Canada Dry | December 2, 2007 6:57 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
NHL Hockey players should take note. As should all other professional players. Kids look up to these people as role models, and when their role models act inappropriately, the kids act that way too.
Now, as for the coaches and the other adults, there's just no explanation or justification for what they did. They should be ashamed and banned from coaching for their lives.
Shame on all of the professional players and coaches that think that creating a mele is the right way to get things done. Shame on the adults who, when presented with 8 year olds fighting joined in instead of breaking up the fight.
Overall, it's just a damn shame.