Tuesday night’s first-round playoff game between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings was paused for 20 minutes after a pane of glass shattered during the second period.
While rare during an NHL game, glass can be shattered or splintered during big hits or heavy shots. What made this occasion special was that the incident was caused by a fan behind the Kings’ bench, not by a player on the ice.
According to Kings TV analyst Jim Fox, the fan, pumped up after Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood made a penalty-shot save on Kings forward Quinton Byfield, was removed from his seats behind the bench. Fox also stated that Kings head coach DJ Smith suffered minor cuts to his head, while assistant coach Newell Brown had some minor cuts on his face.
Neither coach missed any of the game due to their injuries, but they did return to the team’s locker room as stadium workers diligently cleared the broken glass and eventually installed a new pane.
“After the penalty shot, whoever the guy [was] just kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” Smith said postgame. “I looked back because it hit me a bunch of times, and then it broke.”
An Avalanche spokesperson informed The Athletic’s Peter Baugh that staff reviewed the footage and determined the fan didn’t do anything warranting an ejection. However, fans seated near the incident confirmed Fox’s report that the individual was moved to another section.
Colorado ultimately won the game in overtime on home ice, getting a goal from Nicolas Roy after 7:44 of the extra frame.
They are now up 2-0 in the series, with play transitioning to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night.
