Tempers ran high during the Canada vs. Switzerland hockey game at the Winter Olympics. An incident sparked so much frustration among the fans that they began hurling beer cups onto the ice mid-game. Meanwhile Team Canada was left visibly displeased by this incident. But what exactly happened? 

Senior NHL Columnist Pierre LeBrun reported on X, “Swiss fans threw 2 cups on the ice during play after a missed penalty call on Sam Bennett. Yikes.”

A brawl almost broke out after the referee missed a high-sticking penalty call on Sam Bennett, whose a two-time Stanley Cup Champ. Nico Hischier, the victim in this scenario, immediately complained to the referees when Bennett decided to get involved.

According to the audio picked up during the play, Bennett then bluntly replied (via habsfanatics), “Stop complaining, stop crying!”

As Bennett got under his opponent’s skin when the second period was winding down, the fans weren’t too happy, leading to some of them hurling beer cups on ice.

“Canadian bench is irate as fans are throwing beer cups onto the ice here in Milan,” reported Frank Seravalli.

The fans, if identified, can be ejected from the stadium for such offenses. In this case, however, it’s unknown whether authorities took any action. From what it seemed, the reaction was likely a built up from past events in the physical game too. 

At the beginning of the second period, Andrea Glauser walked out after taking a big hit from Connor McDavid in the first period. 

Swiss fans dominated the stadium as the country is around 100 miles away from Milan.While this might be seen as passion from the Swiss fans, it is a major hassle for the Winter Olympics management when such events happen.

Frustration further boiled over for the fans. First they were getting grilled by the Canadians, and as the final nail in the coffin, Kevin Fiala had to be stretchered off the ice. The Switzerland team has provided a grim update on Fiala’s future. 

Switzerland is in dismay after providing Kevin Fiala’s Winter Olympics update

Late into the game, tragedy struck for Kevin Fiala and Switzerland. Canada was already 5-1 up, and the Swiss had little chance to stage a comeback. In the 58th minute, Fiala collided with Tom Wilson and went down with a leg injury. He was visibly in pain, as a stretcher had to be brought out to carry him off. No penalty was given for the play.

“It was an accident,” coach Patrick Fischer said.“I haven’t seen him yet. I think he went to the hospital. Obviously, it doesn’t look very good. Tough moment for Kevin and the whole team, obviously.” 

However, Switzerland provided an update on Fiala’s injury in a news release after the medical examination.

“Kevin Fiala was injured in the second group game against Canada and will miss the rest of the Olympic tournament,” the social media post mentioned.

Fiala was key for Switzerland in getting their first victory over France. In addition, he is an NHL star, and his experience would have been vital for the team. In 56 games for the Kings, Fiala has 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points.

He has a -11 with 34 penalty minutes, 17 power-play points, and two game-winning goals. All hope is not lost for the Swiss as they can still get into a good position for the quarterfinals. With Canada firmly at the top, Switzerland will play the Czech Republic on Sunday afternoon for second place in the Winter Olympics group stage.