The Dallas Stars released a statement Wednesday apologizing to the NHL and the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the behavior some fans displayed during the Stars' disastrous 4-0 Game 3 loss on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center.
“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,” Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts said in a statement posted to the team’s social media accounts. “Their actions were unacceptable and put the safety of the players and fans at risk.
“We take pride in providing the best experience for everyone who enters our arena. The actions of these individuals certainly do not reflect our great city, organization and loyal fan base.”
Late in the second period of Game 3, Stars fans threw debris onto the ice after forward Max Domi was assessed a 10-minute game misconduct. Officials sent both teams to the dressing room with 21.6 seconds left in the period and tacked the remaning time onto the clock at the start of the third period.
“We don’t love it. We have amazing fans here, and that’s out of character for them,” Stars center Tyler Seguin told reporters after the game. “Hopefully they don’t do that again, but we put them in that position. They’re emotional, too, just like us.”
As the ice was being cleared, the AAC's public address announcer warned fans that any additional debris thrown onto the ice could result in a penalty called against the Stars.
Spectators eventually stopped throwing items onto the ice, but when the Knights returned for the start of the third period, goaltender Adin Hill had a bucket of popcorn dumped on him.
“We have tremendous fans. We love playing for them. They’re engaged, and they want it as much as we did, and they showed it in that way,” Stars forward Joe Pavelski said. “You don’t like to see it, but we have to be better for them.”
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