This Coach is Trippin' Dude!
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:34 pm
It's an incident that seems as un-Canadian as anything imaginable: A youth hockey coach in British Columbia has been arrested after being accused of tripping a 13-year-old opponent in a handshake line after the teen had helped defeat the alleged perpetrator's squad.
As reported in more detail by the Canadian Press, the unnamed coach [Martin Tremblay] in his 40s stands accused of intentionally tripping the 13-year-old star of his squad's opponent on Saturday. The incident followed a game played between 10-12-year-old squads from Vancouver and Richmond, another city in British Columbia. It is believed that the teen who was tripped was allowed to play in the 10-12 year-old league because he may have been 12 when the season began.
Now, the coach connected with the trip is facing unspecified charges related to the incident, with eyewitness testimony being taken in an effort to determine whether the coach's trip truly was intentional.
If it was, the coach in question clearly has larger issues to work through. The dangerous on-ice reaction led to an injury for the victim, who used both of his wrists to break his fall and suffered minor injuries in the process.
While it may be some time before the incident fully unravels, the impromptu outlash has clearly cast a pall over the University of British Columbia's Thunderbird Arena, which was hosting the game between the two teams.
"The coach was arrested. Charges will be forwarded at a later date, pending the results of the investigation." RCMP Sergeant Paulina Gidda told the Canadian Press. "It was an incident that was unfortunate, and it doesn't bring a great light to our community."