Hockey Dad Upset That Mike Milbury Escaped Criminal Charges
BOSTON (CBS) - The father of a 12-year-old hockey player who says he was assaulted by Mike Milbury is disappointed the former Bruin has been cleared of charges and walked out of Brookline District Court.
David Keating says what happened during a scuffle on the ice at a Brookline rink December 9 is nothing short of criminal. Milbury was coaching his son's team, the Boch Blazers against the Boston Blackhawks. Milbury's son got into a skirmish with Keating's son, but according to the Keating family, witnesses back up that Milbury's son was the aggressor, and the father crossed the line to break it up.
"Just because it's a game doesn't mean you can grab a player and push him, never mind grab him and shake and lift him off the ice for over thirty second seconds," Keating tells WBZ-TV in an exclusive interview.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports
He says Milbury also shouted profanities, behavior which sends the wrong message. "This is an incident about a 59-year-old ex-professional player, coach, parent and youth coach who was overzealous and acted inappropriately," he said.
Asked whether he believes Milbury's notoriety helped him beat the assault charges, he says he'll let the public decide that.
A clerk-magistrate ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge Milbury, and outside court he was clearly relieved to put it behind him.
"This was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I don't have much more to say than that," said Milbury.
David Keating believes coaches and players should be held accountable for their behavior on the ice. "Coaches and players alike should both respect the game and not put their hands on each other," he said.
