Vastly different stories are emerging after a junior hockey coach from Alberta was caught swinging a stick at a fan during a game Friday night. Jeff Richards, the head coach of the Hinton Timberwolves, says he was just trying to protect his players from a drunk and unruly fan. The host of that night's matchup, the Meadow Lake Mustangs based in Saskatchewan, claims there was no danger at all.
According to a report by CBC News, Richards said he started swinging after the fan allegedly grabbed another Timberwolves coach from above by the scruff of the neck. He said the man had also threatened Timberwolves players prior to the incident.
"It all just happened in a big blur .... we turn around, this giant-sized man is behind us, that had been yelling profanities at us and is now yelling at these players. He's got a hold of my assistant coach by the scruff of his neck, picking him up," said Richards.
"I acted just on, you know, instinctively. I was protecting all these players and these people."
Richards said he he has no idea who the man in the video is. He said he feels there was nothing else he could have done to respond in a less violent manner in front of families and children.
"What would you do if you were in my shoes? If you were responsible for 19 young individuals, teenagers, what would you do?" he said.
"You know, it wasn't premeditated at all. It all unraveled so quickly. I just reacted ... I was protecting children."
The head coach of the Meadow Lake Mustangs completely disputes that claim, saying Richards simply could have stepped away from the fan.
"There's glass, the bench drops down probably close to 10 feet," said Ross.
"If he just stepped away, there's no way he could touch him."
He also claims no one was grabbed by the neck until Richards started swinging the stick.
The Mustangs were fined by the Western States Hockey League after the incident for not having security onsite. Ross said there are personnel on site, but they were on the other side of the rink when the incident happened. He wants a full investigation by the league, adding he believes Richards should be suspended until they get to the bottom of it.
Local RCMP told CBC News they are aware of the incident but no official complaints have been filed with the detachment.
Source: CBC News
