It was an ugly scene in more ways than one last night at American Airlines Center in Dallas for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the host Dallas Stars and the visiting Vegas Golden Knights.
In the first place, it was an ugly scene for the Stars, as not only did they fall down 3-0 early in the first period, but also lost captain Jamie Benn after he was issued a game misconduct for an ugly cross check to Vegas captain Mark Stone.
Later in the game, forward Max Domi would be issued a game misconduct for a cross check against Nic Hague. Fans in the arena would respond by throwing debris and garbage onto the ice in what was truly a low point for the Stars franchise. Officials paused the game and sent both teams to their respective dressing rooms while arena officials worked to clean up the mess.
Stars CEO Brad Alberts issued the following apology to Vegas and their fans on behalf of his team:
"On behalf of the Dallas Stars organization, I would like to apologize to the Vegas Golden Knights and the National Hockey League for the actions of a few of our spectators at last night's game. Their actions were unacceptable and put the safety of the plavers and fans at risk," Alberts said in the statement.
"We take pride in providing the best experience for everyone who enters our arena. The actions of these individuals certainly do not reflect our great city, organization and loyal fan base."
The Stars would eventually lose the game by a 4-0 score to fall behind in the series three games to zero. Vegas can advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a win on Thursday night in Game 4.
