A youth hockey showcase during the intermission of an American Hockey League game between the Hershey Bears and the Cleveland Monsters turned into chaos when kids started fighting.
Fights are commonplace in professional North American hockey. Aside from boxing and MMA, it’s one of the few sports where players can punch each other in the face and get off with minor consequences.
Although dropping the gloves is allowed in the NHL, AHL, and most major junior leagues in Canada, it’s not something you expect to see when literal kids are on the ice.
The Bears’ Mites on Ice intermission showcase is meant to spotlight youth hockey in a lighthearted scrimmage. Instead, the game spiraled out of control, erupting into a full-on viral fight involving players from the Central Penn Panthers Youth Ice Hockey Club.
Investigation triggered after kids start brawling in wild intermission hockey game
Footage shared across social media shows multiple players from both sides throwing punches as the crowd looks on and cheers. Notably, no officials appear to step in to break up the fight, despite the players involved being Mites, children aged eight and under.
The viral clips, which have amassed over 16M views, shows the youngsters start to hit each other with the goalies also getting into it.
At one point, players from both sides skate into the brouhaha, sparking a larger melee that resembled a dogpile in football.
One of the players who appeared to get into it with his own teammate by hitting him in the head several times.
Towards the end of the viral video, one of the goalies skates back into the altercation and knocks his opponent to the ice hard.
The Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association called the incident a “staged fight.”
“We are aware of a staged fight that occurred at the Hershey Bears (AHL) game involving a Pennsylvania 8U team,” they said. “Affiliate, league, and club officials are investigating the matter and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against those players and team officials involved with the staged fight. The intermission game was not sanctioned by USA Hockey or the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association.”
Meanwhile, the Central Penn Panthers said it was conducting a review of the incident.
“The safety, well-being, and positive experience of all participants—especially our young players—are of the utmost importance. We are currently conducting an internal review to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the incident. This review will include gathering information from all relevant parties and assessing the situation thoroughly and responsibly.”
A similar incident took place on December 20 where youth players started engaging in fights all over the ice during a Hershey Bears mites-on-ice.
This isn’t the first hockey brawl to make international headlines, either. During the 2024 annual teddy bear toss, a brawl broke out on the ice between members of the Ottawa 67’s and the Barrie Colts hockey, with even the Grinch joining the chaos.
