Professional hockey player gets suspended after fighting a fan who taunted him outside the locker room
Professional hockey player, Justin Pender has been suspended for fighting a fan outside of the locker room for taunting him
The Avalon East Senior Hockey League is having to deal with some drama after an off-ice altercation broke out between a player and a fan in Harbour Grace Newfoundland and Labrador.
Justin Pender, who is an assistant captain of the Clarenville Ford Caribous, has been suspended by the league for attacking a fan outside of the locker room, who was taunting Pender following his ejection from the game. Pender, who has a temper was clearly agitated during this game, and will less than 10 minutes he got ejected for taking multiple runs at an opponent.
After being ejected from the game, Pender was taunted by fans waiting around the locker room, and that is where things got ugly.
From CBC:
CBC News has obtained a copy of security camera footage, which shows four male fans making their way to the hallway entrance beneath the arena bleachers, where the dressing rooms are located.
One of the fans, John Drover of Bay Roberts, can be seen gesturing at Pender as the player enters the hallway from the ice surface.
Pender stops and throws the broken shaft of his stick at the fans from a distance of nearly 10 metres, and it lands harmlessly at Drover's feet.
Pender then starts walking aggressively toward the fans, fully clad in his hockey gear and already incensed from an earlier outburst on the ice in which he confronted the CeeBees' bench and smashed his stick on the leg of an opposing player as an official was escorting Pender off the ice. Video of that on-ice skirmish has been shared widely on social media.
Meanwhile, a young boy can be seen on the security video entering the hallway entrance, but quickly retreats when he sees Pender - who stands six feet four inches, weighs 215 pounds and has a reputation for playing an edgy, tough style of hockey - storming toward him.
However, Drover stands his ground as Pender reaches the end of the hallway. It's at this point that Pender, wearing his bulky hockey gloves, starts throwing punches at Drover.
Pender's teammate, Thomas Hedges, who was also ejected from the game, can also be seen running down the hallway behind Pender.
Some of the fracas is not captured by the security camera, so it's not clear if Hedges is throwing punches or trying to extricate his teammate from the melee. Caribous' general manager Ivan Hapgood is also seen walking down the hallway and out of the camera frame.
One of the fans, John Drover of Bay Roberts, can be seen gesturing at Pender as the player enters the hallway from the ice surface.
Pender stops and throws the broken shaft of his stick at the fans from a distance of nearly 10 metres, and it lands harmlessly at Drover's feet.
Pender then starts walking aggressively toward the fans, fully clad in his hockey gear and already incensed from an earlier outburst on the ice in which he confronted the CeeBees' bench and smashed his stick on the leg of an opposing player as an official was escorting Pender off the ice. Video of that on-ice skirmish has been shared widely on social media.
Meanwhile, a young boy can be seen on the security video entering the hallway entrance, but quickly retreats when he sees Pender - who stands six feet four inches, weighs 215 pounds and has a reputation for playing an edgy, tough style of hockey - storming toward him.
However, Drover stands his ground as Pender reaches the end of the hallway. It's at this point that Pender, wearing his bulky hockey gloves, starts throwing punches at Drover.
Pender's teammate, Thomas Hedges, who was also ejected from the game, can also be seen running down the hallway behind Pender.
Some of the fracas is not captured by the security camera, so it's not clear if Hedges is throwing punches or trying to extricate his teammate from the melee. Caribous' general manager Ivan Hapgood is also seen walking down the hallway and out of the camera frame.
YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIGHT
| POLL | ||
Was Justin Pender or the fan in the wrong here? | ||
| Justin Pender | 5 | 20.8 % |
| Fans | 5 | 20.8 % |
| Both | 14 | 58.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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