Hudson Valley Coach Hit 10-Year-Old With Hockey Stick, Say Police

A hockey coach teaching kids in the Hudson Valley is accused of smacking an underperforming 10-year-old player with a hockey stick, knocking him down on the ice.

If the disturbing allegations are true, this coach is one of the worst humans on earth.

According to a police report cited by CT Insider, Marvin A. Minkler was holding practice for the Oil Kings at the Brewster Ice Arena when the incident occurred. Witnesses say Minkler "hit a 10-year-old player in the head, neck and upper back with a hockey stick... The boy was knocked off his feet and fell to the ice, with his helmet-clad head whipping back and hitting the ice."

Even worse, the complaint says that instead of checking to see if the boy was ok, Minkler "continued to yell and curse at him that he was doing the drill incorrectly." The 53-year-old coach from Stamford has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and attempted second-degree assault.

An attorney representing Minkler says the coach insists that he is innocent and denies all of the charges against him.

Coaching children is a huge responsibility. It's way more than just teaching them the fundamentals. For many children, playing sports is how they gain self-esteem, learn respect for others, and learn how to be responsible authority figures. Smacking a kid to the ice and cursing at him for not being good enough is the worst kind of role model a child can encounter.

Minkler has been coaching youth hockey in the Connecticut area for quite a while. A handful of his players have even gone on to play in the NHL including Jonathan Quick from the L.A. Kings, Cam Atkinson from the Flyers, and Las Vegas Golden Knights player, Max Pacioretty.

A lesson on hockey drills being taught by Minkler can be found on YouTube.

The hockey coach is expected to appear in Southeast Town Court on November 30.

While no place in the Hudson Valley made the list, the region has received a ton of praise recently.