Hey, did you hear about the crazy incident at the hockey game? So, get this, a young hockey player from the Victoria Admirals ended up in the hospital after a pretty intense game against the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies. The game was almost over, and the Admirals were totally killing it with a 4-1 win, when things took a turn for the worse. Right after a face-off, there was this massive pile-up of players, and the poor Admirals player got seriously hurt. I heard he’s got internal bleeding, which is just awful.
The video of the whole thing is out there, and it’s pretty shocking. The president of the Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association, Harold Bloomenthal, even said, “The pictorial evidence is there. The video speaks for itself.” Everyone’s really worried about the injured player, and they should be. It’s a serious situation.
The hockey bigwigs are all over this, too. Al McCulloch, the president of the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association, said they’re reviewing the whole incident. And you know what? The three Juan de Fuca players involved have been suspended indefinitely. That’s some serious stuff right there.
Nicki Reich, the president of the Victoria Admirals Minor Hockey Association, is not taking this lightly. She’s handed it over to the higher-ups at VIAHA and B.C. Hockey for a thorough review. The process includes the suspended players having to explain themselves in writing. It’s a waiting game now to see what the disciplinary action will be.
Harold Bloomenthal from Juan de Fuca is pretty clear about it, though. He said, “It’s time to take a pause and wait for the disciplinary process to play out to decide what is appropriate.” And he’s right. This is a serious matter, and it needs to be handled properly.
The CEO of B.C. Hockey, Cameron Hope, couldn’t be reached for comment, but I’m sure they’re all over this, too. Everyone’s saying the same thing: this kind of thing has no place in hockey. It’s a tough situation, especially because these are young players, but it’s a learning moment for sure.
Let’s hope the injured player makes a full recovery and that the disciplinary process brings about the right outcome. It’s a reminder that even in a game as intense as hockey, safety and sportsmanship always come first.