Shocking footage of what appears to be a hockey coach tripping a 13-year-old player after a game ended on Saturday afternoon, leaving the boy with a broken wrist, has sparked controversy, especially with the child’s parents.
Tammy Hohlweg,Richmond Steel team manager said of the man coaching the Hornets “I don’t ever want to see that coach on a bench behind kids ever again, it’s just horrible that a coach would go after a child like that, and what’s even more horrible is that team won” The Hornets won Saturday’s game 5-4.
Tammy Hohlweg went further to say “We were the losing team and that guy still went after our kid.”
The video that was shot by a parent of a Steel player, shows the two teams preparing to shake hands following the game at UBC’s Thunderbird Arena. The coach (in a black jacket and beige pants) can be seen moving down the line before sticking out his right foot.
A player in a blue Steel jersey is then seen falling, causing a second player to go down as well.
Hohlweg said the boy’s family is keeping things low-key and the boy is now wearing a cast for his broken wrist.
According to Hohlweg, whose son also plays on the team and whose husband was one of several coaches Saturday, the incident emphasizes the importance of communication between parents and hockey associations.
“I think we have to be aware of what our coaches are doing. And parents, when they see (incidents like this), need to bring it forward,” she said.
While she couldn’t speak for the Hornets’ coach or their association, she noted her own organization, the Richmond Minor Hockey Association, requires coaches to undergo criminal record checks every year.
Hohlweg has expressed concern over how the Hornets responded to the event. Youths on the two teams are between the ages of 10 and 13.
“It just goes to show how much influence a coach . . . has on those kids. At Richmond Minor Hockey, that kind of stuff is stopped. We don’t tolerate it at all,” Hohlweg noted. “You’ll see the kids start acting like the coach and you can’t blame the kids because the person they look up to is doing it, too.”
Investigators are now reviewing witness statements and video of the incident. The Hornets could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
