Shocking footage of a hockey coach apparently tripping a 13-year-old player after a game, leaving the boy with a broken wrist, has led to police recommending an assault charge.
"I don't ever want to see that coach on a bench behind kids ever again," said Richmond Steel team manager Tammy Hohlweg of the man coaching the Hornets, who won Saturday's game 5-4.
"It's just horrible that a coach would go after a child like that and what's even more horrible is that his team won."
The footage, shot by a parent of a Richmond Steel player, shows the two teams preparing to shake hands following the game at the University of B.C.'s Thunderbird Arena. The coach, Martin Tremblay, can be seen moving down the line before sticking out his right foot.
A player in a blue Steel jersey is then seen falling, causing a second player to go down as well.
Later footage also shows the man trading words with a referee while a Steel coach standing in shock is ushered off the ice.
A Hornets player is also caught on camera throwing a water bottle at the bleachers while others on his team applaud and gesture with their arms open.
The Hornets coach also gives a middle finger to those yelling from the bleachers.
Tremblay has been suspended from the Vancouver Minor Hockey Association (VMHA) as a result, Dion DeMarco of the association told The Province newspaper.
The suspension is pending a disciplinary hearing with Tremblay, who coached with the VMHA last season. It was his first year in the league, DeMarco said, but not his first year as a coach.
Hohlweg said the boy's family is keeping things low-key and the boy now wears a cast on his wrist. Investigators are recommending to Crown a charge of assault against the coach. The Hornets couldn't be reached for comment.
To view the video, visit www.richmondnews.com.
