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Hockey is a notoriously brutal sport, and there’s rarely much love lost between the players whose tempers routinely flare over the course of a typical contest.
With that said, it also features a pretty cool tradition in the form of the handshake lines that traditionally form at the end of every playoff series and give people on both sides the opportunity to congratulate their opponents on a well-fought battle while essentially absolving any hockey sins that may have been committed prior to that point.
However, there are some cases where things don’t exactly go according to plan.
This week, a number of U18 teams across Asia gathered in Bangkok for the 2023 Thailand Invitation Championship, which saw the squads representing the host country and Hong Kong face off on Thursday.
That showdown was a pretty even one until the end of the third period, as Thailand opened up the scoring with less than five minutes remaining in the final frame before a breakaway goal and an empty-netter allowed them to walk away with the 3-0 win over Hong Kong.
After the final horn blew, the two sides gathered for the handshake line, but some players opted to trade fists instead of pleasantries in the massive brawl that broke out for unknown reasons.
A brawl broke out from the handshake line following a 3-0 Thailand win over Hong Kong at the Bangkok U18 Invitational 👊 pic.twitter.com/w6oPG2QXlg
— Hockey Worldwide (@H0ckeyWorldwide) July 20, 2023
At least one guy on Thailand’s team attempted to get in on the fun without actually finding a dancing partner, as he was filmed throwing his gloves and helmet down onto the ice before swinging his fists at an imaginary opponent while making light of the situation.
A closer look at #24 😅 pic.twitter.com/vvf3KjvCbm
— Hockey Worldwide (@H0ckeyWorldwide) July 20, 2023
However, one of his teammates went the opposite route, as they were captured swinging their stick at the back of a Hong Kong player who was incredibly unphased by an attack that fits the textbook definition of assault.
And this happened… pic.twitter.com/ClNS1fXjST
— Hockey Worldwide (@H0ckeyWorldwide) July 20, 2023
Hockey players are truly built different.