THUNDER BAY — An exuberant hockey fan who supports his team by pounding a drum at the rink found himself dealing with city police on Monday night.
The incident occurred during Game 6 of the Superior International Hockey League finals between the Thunder Bay North Stars and the Kam River Fighting Walleye at the Fort William Gardens on Monday night.
The man, who cheers for the visiting Fighting Walleye, wasn't charged with anything but his drum was confiscated.
According to a statement issued by the North Stars, the team had received numerous complaints at a previous game about constant drumming "and how he should not be sitting behind this particular section" because some people with special needs are seated there.
The statement said the fan with the drum was asked to move to a different area but failed to do so.
Then, at Game 6, he "set up once again behind the wheelchair/special needs section, ignoring all our requests to please move to the far corner."
According to the North Stars, one autistic person left for the lobby with his father 10 minutes into the game, in tears, because of the drumming.
"At this time security once again asked the drum guy to please move to the far corner ... and his response was 'my ticket says general admission and I can sit wherever I want.' "
At that point the arena security staff called Thunder Bay police.
A police spokesperson said officers were dispatched to investigate a report that a person was causing a disturbance and had refused to leave.
As a result of police intervention "the drum was put away," the spokesperson said.
TBnewswatch has reached out to the man involved in the incident but has not yet been able to arrange for an interview.
"Craziness. Police were called to a fricking hockey game to take away a drum because people were cheering ... I'm speechless," he said in a social media post.
The man added that some North Stars fans had told him they didn't see anything wrong what he was doing.
In their statement, the North Stars said they encourage cheering and support for both teams.
"Seeing the rinks full with kids cheering, homemade signs and all the noisemakers has been awesome. There's been a buzz in the series that hasn't been seen in a long time," the team said.
But they added that the club also has a responsibility to ensure all paying fans are able to enjoy the game.
