Avalanche playoff atmosphere literally breaks the glass in Game 2 win

The Colorado Avalanche took a commanding lead in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. But on top of that, they delivered one of the most chaotic playoff moments of the year.

A dangerous moment behind the bench

During Colorado’s 2-1 overtime win in Game 2, a pane of glass behind the Kings bench suddenly shattered after fans pounded on it in celebration, sending debris down toward the bench area and forcing a lengthy delay.

The incident unfolded midway through the second period, immediately after Scott Wedgewood stopped Quinton Byfield on a penalty shot. As the crowd erupted, the glass behind the Kings began to sway under the force of fans banging against it before ultimately giving way.

Kings interim head coach D. J. Smith was forced to quickly duck as shards of glass fell toward him. He covered his head and made his way off the bench area while arena staff rushed in to assess the situation.

Players from both teams gathered on the ice as crews brought out shovels and buckets to clear the broken glass. The delay lasted nearly 20 minutes while a new pane was installed and the area was secured.

Smith later returned to the bench, appearing not to have sustained serious injuries.

Even for all the energy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this was on another level. Fans reacting to a massive save is nothing new. But causing structural damage inside the arena, especially in such close proximity to players and coaches, crosses a line. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog summed it up simply, noting he had never seen anything like it before.

The sequence itself was a turning point though. Wedgewood’s penalty shot stop preserved a scoreless game at the time and ignited the crowd. That surge of energy carried through the rest of the night, as Colorado eventually secured the win in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead. But the image that will likely stick in people’s heads is the shower of glass raining down behind the bench.

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