The firing of a youth hockey coach in Chicago has sparked debate over whether the punishment fits the crime, which was caught on camera.
Marc Kapsalis, an assistant coach with the Chicago Hawks 16AA team, was dismissed by the organization after video surfaced showing him hit a young player in the helmet with a stick during practice.
In the clip, which was posted on social media by Clanko Media, Kapsalis is seen approaching one of the players during an instruction session near the bench and then hitting the player on the top of his helmet, seemingly in an attempt to get their attention.
The incident reportedly took place at Darien Sportsplex, just outside of Chicago, on Wednesday night.
What did the organization say about the incident?
According to Clanko Media, the unidentified minor player’s parents “immediately brought the incident to the attention of Chicago Hawks management.”
Steve Poapst, the club’s president, confirmed to the outlet that Kapsalis had been immediately terminated and reported to the U.S. oversight body, SafeSport.
“Mr. Kapsalis was an assistant coach with this team. He was immediately terminated from the Club. The incident has been reported to SafeSport and is currently under investigation,” Poapst said.
What was the online reaction to the coach being fired?
But while some hockey fans felt that dismissing Kapsalis was a justified reaction, the majority of replies to the clip felt that the punishment was far too severe.
“Am I missing something? It looked like he tapped the kid on the head to get his attention,” one user wrote on X.
“This is unbelievable. That was not a strike. It was a tap while explaining something,” another replied. “That’s like using a hockey stick pointing at a whiteboard and saying he broke his stick against the wall.”
“Spare me. This is the same as poking him to get his attention. If this is, in fact, true, it is absolutely ridiculous,” a third user wrote.
Some other commenters felt that many coaches — both now and in the past — have been far more harsh on players that are caught not paying attention.
“Man I used to get screamed at. Pucks shot at me. Water bottles thrown at me,” one user commented on Instagram. “My coach who I talk to, to this day was a father figure to me then and still is now. I’m now 35 and if not for him and many others like him I may have gone down the wrong path. They created structure and discipline. Society is weak now.”
“Disagree all you want. First off, slamming? The kid barely reacted. Second, these were the best coaches IMO,” another wrote.
What was the viral incident between players last week?
The incident in Illinois comes just days after another heated debate over punishment in youth hockey — this time involving a violent act between two players.
During a game on Sept. 19 between Bay State Breakers and South Shore Kings in Massachusetts, a player was caught on camera delivering a vicious, two-handed slash to the head of an opposing player — breaking his stick in the process.
A Breakers player had just been stopped on a breakaway when his teammate came in from behind and blindsided his opponent on the Kings. The referee quickly blew the whistle and separated the players while the victim appeared to be able to get to his feet after the incident.
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In a longer video post on Reddit from the LiveBarn feed, it shows that the two players had been involved in some roughing prior to the play.
After the Kings player recovered the puck and sent it back down the ice, he was nudged from behind by another player and then knocked the Breakers player to the ice with what appeared to be a cross-check to the body.
From the ice, the Breakers player then chopped at the Kings’ player’s legs, which led to him retaliated by shoving the Breaker back to the ice before the main incident occurred.
Was there punishment?
According to Gamesheet statistical tracking, the unnamed Breakers player was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for his actions while a member of the Kings received a roughing minor.
The Eastern Hockey Federation issued a statement about the viral incident, saying that player safety is a “top priority” and that it is has escalated the matter to Massachusetts Hockey and USA Hockey to handle further discipline.
“The Eastern Hockey Federation is aware of the recent on-ice incidents circulating online,” the statement said. “Player safety is our top priority and actions that compromise player well-being have zero place in our league.”
The EHF added that its takes these situations seriously and “remain committed to maintaining a safe, competitive and respectful environment for all players, coaches, officials and families.”