Fan brawl breaks out at Sask. hockey game

A senior men’s hockey game in Turtleford turned violent on Saturday, but it wasn’t the players throwing the punches.

Video posted online by a spectator shows fans of the Edam Three Stars and Debden Jets fighting in the stands at the end of the game, with some throwing punches and others being tossed over rows of benches.

CAUTION: Video contains violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

The altercation occurred after Edam sealed an 8-2 victory over Debden in game one of the provincial D senior hockey finals.

Three Stars forward Damon Schaefer told 650 CKOM he didn’t see much of the fighting because the team was already celebrating their win in the dressing room. They heard what was going on, and ran out to see what was happening.

“Some of the Debden fans were getting into it with our fans, and then they got into it with each other,” he said.

“They didn’t know who was cheering for what team.”

The video shows a throng of spectators facing off before one man walks towards another and throws a punch.

Some fans can be seen trying to break up the fracas as one man is thrown from one of the upper rows to the bottom of the stands.

A few moments later another person in a bright sweater stumbles down as more fans throw punches, prompting a reaction from the people recording the incident.

Turtleford RCMP Cpl. Juan Severo said officers arrived at the arena 20 minutes after the altercation began. He said by the time they got there, most people had left.

Those who were still there wouldn’t tell police what happened, and no charges were laid.

“It appears it was alcohol-fueled, passion for the game and things got a little out of control,” Severo said.

He added while people in the area love their small-town hockey, fights are a rare occurrence.

After viewing the video, Severo said residents need to calm down.

“They probably shouldn’t have had so much to drink,” he said.

“Maybe just use Sportsnet for their updates.”

Editor’s note: A second version of the video has been uploaded without audio. The original poster requested names be removed from the video.