- Avalanche fans broke the glass behind the Kings bench in Game 2
- Interim head coach D.J. Smith was hit by the falling shards
- Watch below for the chaotic scene at Ball Arena
Ball Arena got a little too loud on Tuesday night.
Roughly three minutes into the second period of Game 2 between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, goaltender Scott Wedgewood stonewalled Quinton Byfield on a penalty shot. The Avs fans sitting directly behind the Kings bench started pounding on the glass.
The glass gave out.
A full panel shattered and sent shards down onto the visiting bench. Kings interim head coach D.J. Smith ducked and covered his head as the pieces rained down. Several players bailed out the other way. Nobody was seriously hurt.
Watch the scene below:
The game was delayed roughly 20 minutes while the Avalanche ice crew carried in a replacement panel and installed it at the Kings bench. Smith and his staff briefly went back to the dressing room during the stoppage.
Fans pounding on the glass in a playoff game is not new. A full panel shattering is. It takes a specific combination of energy, timing, and structural luck for a pane to actually give out, and Ball Arena had all three after Wedgewood’s save.
Colorado came into the night with a 1-0 series lead and the best regular-season record in the NHL. Los Angeles is the Wild Card entry that most people expected to give the top seed a real fight in Round 1. Nobody had “shattered glass” on their series bingo card.
I love it. This is exactly what Denver playoff hockey is supposed to look like. The Kings just need their own fans to return the favor when the series heads west.
