Warriors investigating racially motivated incident at playoff game

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Stratford Hunter Steel Warriors are investigating an incident at a recent playoff game.

On March 16, racially motivated language was directed by an attendee in the stands at an opposing player during Game 3 against the London Nationals at the William Allman Arena. After the incident, security was called and the fan was removed from the premises.

“We want to be unequivocally clear: there is no place in our game, our arena or our community for racist or discriminatory language of any kind,” a statement from the team reads. “This behaviour does not reflect the values of our organization, our players or the vast majority of our fans.”

While Nick Aroutzidis, president of the organization, told the Times he was not aware of the incident when it happened, he was informed by Jason Clarke, director of hockey operations, the next morning. He reiterated the Warriors’ statement, calling it “unacceptable for our club,” and confirmed that they have spoken with Nationals’ ownership to express their regret.

In its own statement, the Nationals thanked the Warriors for its “prompt outreach and professional handling of the situation.”

“Stratford is a longstanding and respected organization within our league, and we value the relationship between our teams, players and communities,” the team’s statement said. “It is important to recognize that the actions of one individual do not reflect an entire organization, its players or its fanbase.”

Aroutzidis said that there isn’t more information to be shared at this time, as the organization is conducting an investigation with arena staff and league officials to review the incident.

“We sincerely apologize to the player, their team, and their organization for what occurred,” the Warriors’ statement said. “… The Stratford Warriors are committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and safe environment for everyone involved in our game.”