Max Pacioretty gets ejected from his son’s youth hockey game in embarrassing fashion!

Since retiring about a year ago, Max Pacioretty has been embracing life after professional hockey. The former Montreal Canadiens star now works in the NCAA hockey world in Michigan and has thrown himself into coaching his children’s teams. But at a recent youth tournament in Chicago, his sideline passion boiled over in a way that quickly became the talk of social media.

During the CCM Chicago Showcase, Pacioretty was behind the bench coaching his son James Carter’s team. James Carter, born in 2017, plays for a club called the Stars International, a group that represents the junior Red Wings at select tournaments, similar to how local Quebec teams sometimes carry the Canadien Junior name at events like the Quebec Pee-Wee Tournament. Everything was going smoothly until a penalty was called on the young player, and the retired player took exception to the referee’s call.

The incident took place on a Friday morning at the Nicholas Sportsplex in MT Prospect Ice Arena. Pacioretty got into a heated exchange with the official over the penalty assessed to his son, and the result was swift: he was ejected from the game entirely. But the ejection itself was only half the story. When Pacioretty attempted to leave the ice surface, the nearest door would not open. Left with no other option, the former NHLer had to walk across the entire rink on foot to find an available exit.

The scene was captured on video and spread rapidly online thanks to Dans les Coulisses, with many describing it as a textbook “walk of shame.” The image of a retired professional hockey player trudging across the ice after being kicked out of a youth game struck a chord with fans and parents alike, generating plenty of commentary and humour on social media.

Despite his father’s memorable ejection, young James Carter and his teammates went on to have an outstanding tournament. The Stars International captured the championship with a thrilling 8-7 overtime victory. In a fitting twist, it was James Carter himself who scored the winning goal. The youngster wears number 67 on his jersey, the same number his father wore throughout much of his NHL career, and observers were quick to note that he appears to have inherited some of his dad’s scoring touch.

But what about his temper?