Swiss hockey team bus attacked by stone-throwing fans, coach injured
Geneve-Servette had a big win in the top tier Swiss league on Tuesday night, shutting out Lausanne on the road, 3-0. The players went through their postgame celebration and routine, and hopped on their bus to depart.
When the bus was stopped at a red light, a group of Lausanne fans attacked the vehicle, throwing large chunks of stone at the windows and shattering a few where the players were sitting.
Coach Chris McSorley, the younger brother of former NHLer Marty McSorley, was cut on the chin during the attack and required stitches at a local hospital.
As for the players … well, they continued home on the team bus, shattered windows and all. “It was very cold,” said assistant coach Louis Matte.
Some players took to social media to detail the attack, such as former Winnipeg Jets forward Jim Slater.
And defenseman Eliot Antonietti:
According to Bluewin.ch, Servette asked for extra police protection for their bus after the game but police felt the game wasn’t “dangerous enough” to warrant it.
Lausanne released a statement about the incident (roughly translated): The attack was “unworthy and unacceptable” and “these acts, violent and irresponsible, are not the work of fans and not any way reflect the philosophy of Lausanne. The company presents its apologies to Chris McSorley, to Geneva and to all the players.”
No, not the fans. Just a roving gang of bus-hating thugs with rocks, apparently …
____
Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY
