COURTENAY, B.C. — The owner of a junior hockey team on Vancouver Island has been ordered to stay away from the owners of a rival team after a player's decision to switch teams fuelled a series of confrontations.
A provincial court decision says the dispute started when a player who was on the Campbell River Storm switched to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings, which angered Storm owner Kevin Spooner.
The decision details several confrontations between Spooner and Glacier Kings owners Marsha and Dave Webb, including an instance in which Spooner struck Dave Webb with a trivial blow to the head.
Spooner denied striking Webb and suggested during the court process that he was aggressive toward the Webbs because in hockey emotions run high.
Provincial court Judge Ted Gouge says that because Spooner believes physical intimidation is appropriate in the world of hockey, he issued a peace bond to prevent future confrontations.
Spooner's lawyer, Jay Havelaar, says his client has always been primarily concerned with the well-being of his players and his team, and he says Spooner maintains that both sides contributed to the dispute.
