A wild night at the Hershey Bears hockey game Saturday night, as a team of mostly 8-year-old hockey players ended up fighting each other on the ice during a break in the game.
The videos, captured from multiple angles, show what was supposed to be a scrimmage between team members turning into a massive melee during the intermission of the Hershey Bears game.
A father, attending the Hershey Bears game with his family for the first time, recorded one version of the incident, capturing children shoving, kicking and punching each other.
The Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association described the event as a staged fight in a statement on its Facebook page, clarifying that it did not sanction the intermission play.
The Hershey Bears said, “What occurred… did not reflect the values of the sport or the standards we expect when young athletes are on the ice.”
The Central Penn Panthers, who run the team out of the Regency Ice Rink in Lancaster, are investigating the incident. Ray Ferry, the owner of the youth ice hockey league, said he is investigating what happened on the ice Saturday and has not yet spoken to all players, parents, and coaches face-to-face. He will not decide on any discipline until he completes this process.
Ferry said, “The truth of all that happened and lead up to it and who decided to do this activity on the ice is critical to how I’m handling it. No excuses, no spin and a need to protect the players and coaches, while holding them appropriately responsible based on the truth.”
Ferry acknowledged that people are watching the videos and forming their own judgments, but believes the videos do not show the full reality of the situation. He plans to explain further after completing his investigation by Friday.
The fight videos have gone viral, with some receiving over 16 million views. Comments on the videos range from expressions of disgust to others finding it entertaining. The incident’s reach has extended so far that NBC Nightly News is featuring a story on the video.
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Hockey News