Dallas Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts released a statement on the team’s social media pages on Wednesday, apologizing after fans at the American Airlines Center were seen throwing debris near the end of the second period of Game 3 between Dallas and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights won the game 4-0, taking a 3-0 series lead ahead of a potential series-clincher on Thursday evening.
Both teams were forced into their respective locker rooms with 21.6 seconds left in the second period.
“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,” Alberts said. “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.”
The game was a disaster for the Stars, who allowed three goals within the first eight minutes. Captain Jamie Benn was ejected on his first shift after knocking Mark Stone to the ice before cross-checking him while he was down. Benn is set to have a hearing for the incident Wednesday and his loss for Game 4 would be significant for a Stars team that completely fell apart on Tuesday.
Later, a big scrum ensued after Max Domi and Nic Hague got into it, escalating the tension further. The score never changed after the debris-throwing incident, with both teams settling in and just riding out the clock in a game that was over nearly as quickly as it began.
Game 4 will take place in Dallas at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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