No one is going to argue against the notion that hockey is a rough sport. Movies have been made highlighting the violence inherent in the game for decades. Most recently, the critical darling Goon, starring Sean William Scott and Liev Schreiber, takes its place along other memorable movies about the bloody ice sport, like Slapshot, Mystery, Alaska, and even The Mighty Ducks. However, sometimes real life hockey videos capture a villain more upsetting than fictional ones. Such is the case when a YouTube video went viral that showed a youth hockey coach in British Columbia tripping a 13-year-old player on the opposing team as each team made its way across the ice during the post-game handshake line.
According to the Globe and the Mail, the tripped player sustained serious injuries to both wrists, by using them to brace his fall, that put him on the bench for the rest of the season. The offending coach, Martin Tremblay, was later arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was sentenced to 15 days in jail. Tremblay’s lawyer has stated that Tremblay had gone off of his anti-depressants during the time of the incident and that’s to blame for his irrational behavior when he tripped a boy a third his age. Apparently, this whole affair has led to the dissolution of Tremblay’s marriage and multiple contract losses for his construction business. Along with these repercussions, the coach can no longer claim that title as he’s been (obviously) removed from his position as a youth hockey coach.
While it’s unclear how much influence the viral video has had in relation to this man’s marriage or the judge’s sentencing, the loss of work due to people not wanting to associate themselves with Tremblay based on his highly inappropriate behavior in this incident can be seen as a clear indication of how easily the news of this event spread. Compared to other viral videos that rank in the millions, a measly amount of 250,000 views may not seem like much. To Tremblay though, it probably seems like quite a lot.
What’s the lesson learned here? Besides don’t be a child-tripping jerk that is. How about this: It’s the future, people. If you’re going to be an asshole, someone is going to record it. So, don’t be an asshole.
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