Avalanche fans shattered glass behind the Los Angeles Kings bench during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday night, April 22, 2026. The incident occurred immediately after Kings forward Quinton Byfield was stopped on a penalty shot attempt by Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood with 16:48 remaining in the second period. As fans celebrated the save, the excitement caused a pane of glass to sway and eventually break, sending shards raining down on Kings interim head coach D.J. Smith.
Smith described the moment, saying he felt pushing from behind before the glass began to fall. “Whoever the guy was just kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” Smith recounted. “I looked back because it hit me a bunch of times, then it broke.” He covered his head and brushed the glass off his suit before heading down the tunnel to the locker room. He returned a few minutes later after the delay.
The Avalanche cleanup crew brought out shovels and buckets to remove the glass fragments from the area behind the Kings bench. Play was halted for more than 15 minutes while a new pane was installed. At the time of the stoppage, the score was tied 0-0. Colorado went on to win the game 2-1 in overtime, with Nicolas Roy scoring the winning goal, giving the Avalanche a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3 in Los Angeles.
Smith, who was named interim head coach of the Kings earlier in the season, has a background as both a player and coach in the NHL. He played 45 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche during his playing career from 1997 to 2004. As a coach, he previously served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators from 2019 to 2023 and won the Memorial Cup in 2015 with the Ottawa 67’s. Before joining the Kings, he spent four years as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told ESPN hockey analyst Erik Johnson that he had never seen anything like the incident before. “It was loud there when ‘Wedgy’ made that save and fans got a little too excited,” Landeskog said. The glass breaking was attributed to fans pounding on it in celebration following Wedgewood’s save on Byfield’s penalty shot.
The delay disrupted the flow of the game, with Kings players mingling on the ice as they waited for the bench area to be cleared and repaired. Once play resumed, the Avalanche maintained their composure and capitalized in overtime to extend their series lead. The incident highlighted the intensity of the playoff atmosphere at Ball Arena, where home fans have been vocal throughout the series.
As the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3, both teams will look to adjust. The Kings will aim to avoid further penalties and improve their chances on scoring opportunities, while the Avalanche will seek to protect their home-ice advantage in the upcoming games. No injuries were reported from the glass incident, and Smith was cleared to return to the bench after the delay.
The NHL has not issued any disciplinary statements regarding fan conduct in relation to the glass-breaking incident. Arena staff confirmed that safety protocols were followed during the cleanup and repair process, and the game continued without further interruptions.
For continued coverage of the Kings-Avalanche playoff series and other NHL updates, fans can follow official team channels and league communications. The next game in the series is scheduled for Thursday night in Los Angeles as the Avalanche look to extend their lead to 3-0.
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