Oilers fans litter ice with beer, trash after Game 1 overtime loss

Apr 18 2023, 2:05 pm

Game 1 of the series between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers was quite the barnburner. Unfortunately, some fans at Rogers Place let their emotions get the best of them.

When the Oilers surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period and allowed a goal in the final 15 seconds of the game, panic began to set in on the bench and in the stands. Then in overtime, Edmonton defenceman Vincent Desharnais was issued a controversial tripping penalty that cost them the game. The crowd and players alike felt like the penalty wasn’t warranted and that LAā€™s Blake Lizotte fell on his own volition.

Shortly after Kings forward Alex Iafallo scored the overtime powerplay goal, some Oilers fans vented their frustration by littering their team’s ice surface. Multiple videos show items like beer cans and pompoms being thrown onto the ice, including the Bally Sports broadcast clip shared by the LA Kings Twitter account.

Spectator Jon Rosen captured the “aftermath” from the stands.

Mike Gould of Daily Faceoff shared a clip of a beer landing in the area where Kings players were celebrating their win.

According to item 63.4 of the NHL rule book, objects thrown on the ice during play or stoppage time can result in a bench minor penalty being assessed to the home team.

Of course, there’s not much use in a penalty being called when the game is over, although there’s always a chance individual fans could find themselves in security’s bad books if identified.

Daily Hive reached out to the Edmonton Oilers for comment and was provided a statement attributable to Stu Ballantyne, President, Rogers Place and ICE District stating “We have the loudest, most passionate fans in the game who give us a huge home ice advantage inside Rogers Place and throughout ICE District.”

Ballantyne went on to say “WeĀ know emotions run even higher during the playoffs and to ensure the safety of fans, players and officials, weā€™d like to remind fans to refrain from throwing things on the ice. No one wants to get ejected from a playoff game.ā€

The second game of the series will take place on Thursday night at 8 pm MT. The Oilers will once again have the chance to win one in front of their home crowd.

Al SciolaAl Sciola

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