Sunday, January 27, 2008

Adventures in church hockey

Well, this past weekend we had an adventure in church hockey!
So, I figured I would chronicle it... it made for a very eventful Saturday evening!
The team that we were playing against is always quite chippy (or one could say dirty). There ended up being quite a few penalties in the third period, which I was thankful for because it keeps some control in the game.
There was one guy in particular on the other team who was playing particularly dirty. If there was ever a scrum he was in there to "break it up" as in to give our guys a shove and was always complaining to the ref and at our players.
Well, with 5:19 left in the 3rd period this player had an altercation with a player from Bethany.
I asked our player how it happened and he said that the two of them were jostling in front of the net. This opposing player (lets call him Brett) claimed that our player (lets call him D) speared him in the groin. I asked D about this and he said that if he did, it was an accident. He said that they were jostling and then Brett went nuts and attacked him.
These kinds of things happen in the game, but what concerns me is what happened after. Brett received a penalty and D did not, which says something. Brett was crying blue murder and then looked at me and said, "If you don't take number 3 off the ice, he will come off bloody." The ref then ejected him from the game. The refs didn't hear what he said, but, his own players said to send him to the showers.
Then when Bethany was leaving the ice after the game, Brett was standing by the gate that Bethany comes off the ice at. There was a commotion as I was the last one off the ice and he was arguing with some of our players and spectators. He said that he was waiting to finish what he started with that little something or other or something to that effect...
I told the players and spectators to go inside and asked Brett how old he was. He said that that has nothing to do with it. He is a big guy, like 250 lbs minimum and the guy he was jostling with is like 5' 7". I then told Brett that these are young 18 year olds and he is much older, so he should move on and be mature. He then threatened to give me a black eye. Or as he put it, "A black eye to match the one you already have!" (I got hit with a stick in the eye with a stick a few weeks ago in a game of shinny... well, actually right under the eye, but my eye turned really black!)
He also threatened to fight one of the fans. This fan was not a younger college age fan, but was an adult who has a 21 year old son. I think the spectator was trying to tell Brett to stop beaking at our players and to move on. Brett said, "why don't you leave and mind your own business!" But when he was told to leave he said, "I am allowed to be here, it is public property!"
Brett was yelling at our players and complaining to the ref all game. This I can take, but I do not think there is any need to threaten my players, me or the spectators. D was afraid that Brett would be waiting for him outside the arena.
Anyway, it was quite the gong show to say the least! I wondered if I had said the wrong thing, but everyone told me I handled it very well. I guess he said that we were bunch of Grade 11s... well these Grade 11s beat you 9-3!
Good old church hockey eh!

2 comments:

Kelly said...

thanks for sharing, Jadon!

Sheryl said...

oh my word! That's crazy, Jadon.