The intensity of playoff hockey can easily lead to fights, though they’re usually confined to the ice. Once in a while it might even lead to rowdy fans scrapping in the stands.
But you don’t expect a pro wrestling match to break out in the broadcast booth.
Brandon Astle, the play-by-play announcer for the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks — the top minor-league affiliate for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks — said on the broadcast of the team’s Pacific Division Game 5 win over the Colorado Eagles that he was attacked by a fan with a chair during the first period of Monday’s do-or-die game.
In videos posted on social media, an audible bang can be heard right before a faceoff with 1:14 left in the first period.
“Got some yahoo chirping at me from behind. Get out of here. What was he doing? Security! Try that again,” Astle says.
After a stoppage with 57 seconds left in the period, Astle provided more details.
“I’m fired up. He threw my chair at me. Hit me right in the back of the leg,” Astle said. “What was he doing here? Unreal. Have another beer.”
Astle then addressed the incident on X, revealing the fan was removed from the arena.
“I could have handled this better, but was in shock & fired up as you can tell, as that has never happened to me before…I know that one yahoo does not reflect the Eagles organization or their fans & apparently was found and kicked out,” he wrote.
Abbotsford won the deciding game 5-0 to advance to a Western Conference finals clash against the Texas Stars, Dallas’ AHL affiliate.
The winner of that series will play in the Calder Cup finals against the East winner, which will either be the Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens) or the Charlotte Checkers (Florida Panthers.)