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Los Angeles Kings head coach DJ Smith narrowly avoided disaster in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Raucous Avalanche fans banging on the glass behind Smith caused the panel to break after Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped Quinton Byfield. Some pieces of glass fell on Smith. He covered his head and brushed the glass off his suit before running down the tunnel to get checked.
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Members of the Colorado Avalanche conversion team carry a new piece of glass to the Los Angeles Kings bench during the second period of Game 2 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on April 21, 2026. (Jack Dempsey/AP)
Smith was fine and returned to the game.
“Whoever the guy was, he kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” he said. “I looked back because it hit me several times and then it broke.”
The incident delayed the game about 15 minutes. The score was tied at zero when the glass broke. Colorado ultimately earned the 2-1 victory in overtime thanks to Nicolas Roy’s game-winning goal. The Avalanche had a 2-0 lead in the series.
Avalanche star Gabriel Landeskog said he made “noise” when Wedgewood made the save and admitted “the fans got too excited.”
Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog discusses a call with referee TJ Luxmore during the second period of Game 2 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings in Denver on April 21, 2026. (Jack Dempsey/AP)
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“There’s nothing you can do to control it. There’s nothing you can do about it, so just deal with it,” he said of the delay. “I think maybe the only thing was that there were so many bodies on the ice that it (worn down) the ice a little bit for the rest (of the period).
“I thought the ice team did a good job and they did everything they could to fix it as quickly as possible. It doesn’t happen every day.”
Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said the delay was news to him.
“That’s a different one,” Bednar said. “But, I mean, things happen. The fans get excited. Our guys were excited, competing hard. There was a lot of fighting on the ice today. It felt like playoff hockey.”
Los Angeles Kings interim coach DJ Smith talks with center Samuel Helenius during the first period of Game 2 of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on April 21, 2026. (Jack Dempsey/AP)
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Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday night in Los Angeles.
