Youth Hockey Coach Teaches Lessons On Sportsmanship And Falling
“I GOT YOUR SPORTSMANSHIP RIGHT HERE”
Hockey is serious business in Canada. They churn out NHL players like the US eats apple pies. Where Americans have baseball as their “national pastime,” Canadians have hockey. It’s part of the fiber of their being and national identity. That fervor can at times get a bit out of hand, such as when Vancouver lost the Stanley Cup in a Game 7 at home and disgruntled Canuck fans tried to burn the city to the ground. So it’s not exactly surprising to hear that a youth hockey coach may have taken things a bit too far and lost control after a game. What is surprising, or sad depending on your vantage point, is that he went off on a member of the other team…in a youth hockey league.
According to The Globe And Mail, Martin Tremblay, coach of the UBC Hornets, was arrested after his team’s 5-4 win after he allegedly tripped one of the opposing players WHILE THEY WENT THROUGH THE HANDSHAKE LINE. The trip caused the player, a 13-year old, to fall to the ice, possibly breaking the kid’s wrist in the process. I’m trying to think of a word to desribe a 40-year old man tripping a 13-year old kid after winning a hockey tournament…classy? No, that’s not it…
The incident, which was caught on film, resulted in Tremblay being carted off by the mounties. He was later released, and no charges have yet to be filed, but it seems like only a matter of time. Beating up kids isn’t really one of those crimes that people forget about real quick, like jay-walking or bank fraud.
The victim, a 13-year-old, was playing in the 10-12 year old league because he was 12 when he started playing for the team, according to authorities. The game came in the gold medal game of a youth tournament, and the contest was heated. So heated, apparently, that Tremblay felt the need to act as enforcer on the kid who technically was too old to be there. Hurting his defense of “Oh, I just slipped on the ice,” Tremblay turned to the crowd after the trip and flipped them all the bird. Following their coach’s lead, one of his players then threw his water bottle at the glass. Is it mature? Is that the word I’m looking for? No…
For Tremblay, the fallout from this incident could stretch beyond a day in court. When not picking fights with and setting a bad example for tweens, Tremblay coached for the Vancouver Thunderbird Minor Hockey Association. While the Thunderbirds don’t govern the spring season where this incident took place, the team is watching this situation very closely. If the allegations are proven true, team president Bill Veenstra says it’s “unlikely” he will return, which seems harsh. What team wouldn’t want a man who assaulted a child on their bench?
DICK!! That’s the word I was looking for! Martin Tremblay is a dick.
(pic via)
