It’s no secret that violent, bloody fights are commonplace in the sport of hockey. Let’s face it, fans actually expect to see the gloves come off and watch punches fly at some point during the game.
What they don’t expect is for the violence to continue during the intermission interviews. But that’s just what happened between periods at an Austrian Hockey League game as Chris DeSousa of HC Bolzano and Tom Zanoski of Medvescak Zagreb threw off their gloves and starting swinging during a live television segment.
Zanoski, a 33-year-old winger, was preparing for the standard intermission interview with Servus TV when, suddenly, DeSousa appeared and began to agitate the opposing player. As you’ll see in the video below, things quickly escalated into a full-blown fight—something that fans aren’t accustomed to viewing off the ice.
An off-ice fight between Chris DeSousa (HC Bolzano) and Tom Zanoski (Medvescak Zagreb) in the Austrian #EBEL league. pic.twitter.com/Rgn7bvY2YB
Eventually the heated exchange came to an end as teammates, referees, and arena security at the venue intervened. Both Zanoski and DeSousa were given fighting majors and game misconduct penalties, while five other players were given roughing minors.
So much for the adage about animosity ending once the horn sounds.
