Junior coach swings a stick at a fan, team folds just days later

A former junior hockey coach in the Western States Hockey League is under investigation following the emergence of video evidence of an alleged assault on a fan with a hockey stick.

The incident occurred this past Friday in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan in a game between the Hinton Timberwolves and Meadow Lake Mustangs of the WSHL. Timberwolves head coach Jeff Richards is seen swinging a stick at a man behind his team’s bench in a video shared online.

Check it out:

If the above video doesn't load, you can view it here.

Richards maintains that the fan was never in any real danger and that he was only defending his players whom he says were threatened by the irate fan. 

"It all just happened in a big blur .... we turn around, this giant-sized man is behind us, that had been yelling profanities at us and is now yelling at these players. He's got a hold of my assistant coach by the scruff of his neck, picking him up," said Richards.

"I acted just on, you know, instinctively. I was protecting all these players and these people."

"What would you do if you were in my shoes? If you were responsible for 19 young individuals, teenagers, what would you do?" he said. 

"You know, it wasn't premeditated at all. It all unraveled so quickly. I just reacted... I was protecting children."

The Mustangs were fined by the league after the incident for not having security onsite. But, here's the thing, none of it really matters as the team folded just two days after the incident.

Say what!?

Check out this report from the CBC:

The Meadow Lake Mustangs team was shut down by the owner after playing another game against the Timberwolves on Saturday, but Ross said the decision was not a direct result of the incident. He said it was related to finances and low player numbers.    

Team director Gerald Pohl said the team forfeited its Sunday game because of a lack of players, which he said usually means a suspension or expulsion for that team. 

Crazy! There just HAS to be more to this story, right!? Too strange. Stay tuned.