Stars CEO apologizes after fans litter ice during Game 3 loss
Things got ugly in Dallas on Tuesday night.
With the Stars trailing 4-0 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, fans at the American Airlines Center littered the ice with trash after Dallas forward Max Domi received a 10-minute misconduct.
The game entered the second intermission 21 seconds early because of the chaos.
The 2nd period comes to a close in Dallas as the ice needs a good clean. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/yNmibxvmpA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 24, 2023
Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts addressed the chaotic scene in a statement Wednesday.
"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," he wrote.
"Their actions were unacceptable and put the safety of the players and fans at risk. ... The actions of these individuals certainly do not reflect our great city, organization, and loyal fan base."
Everything started when Domi cross-checked Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague from behind into the boards and then started throwing punches. Domi received a two-minute minor for cross-checking, a two-minute minor for roughing, and a 10-minute misconduct. Hague also received two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Here's the Domi-Hague incident live with the scrum coming just afterwards: pic.twitter.com/GHeg9JiRPT
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) May 24, 2023
Hague seemed to get amusement out of Domi's tantrum.
Nic_Hague_Giggling.mp4 pic.twitter.com/RMgTjkb2Eb
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 24, 2023
Fans also threw popcorn at Vegas goaltender Adin Hill as he and his Golden Knights teammates entered the ice after the second intermission.
An entire bag of popcorn got thrown down on a couple Golden Knights players coming on the ice for the 3rd period 😬 pic.twitter.com/9bpNGzkXYv
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 24, 2023
"I guess everything was just hitting me tonight," said Hill, who stopped all 34 shots he faced for his first career playoff shutout, per The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer did not find as much humor in the situation.
"Everybody in the building was frustrated tonight," DeBoer said postgame when asked about fans throwing things on the ice.
Domi was fined $5,000 for slashing Golden Knights captain Mark Stone in the third period of the contest.
The Golden Knights won 4-0 to take a 3-0 series lead.