brawl brawl altercation occurred prior game year finals april led deciding game allowed express win championship default windsor guard participated brawl said black eye league basketball reached site game hours early began warming discovered express assistant coach windsor head coach later entered room retrieve ball violence erupted halifax center sparked brawl teams causing police arrive eventually left stadium chose compete game safety concerns incident resulted mass fines notably lifetime ban coaches coaching canada league fined entire organization charges totaling sole express player fined suspended players including bennett reinstated league following season background teams previously appeared named champions prior season topping seven games appeared finals played best format dropped games lost london lightning halifax finished regular season champions second best record league winners express coming wins island storm respectively windsor hand beaten power series entered finals series playing single game days defeated windsor game led express points rebounds added points halifax struggled quarter point guard notably committed minutes game finish contest penalties end game seven players committed personal team totaled allowing windsor free throw attempts express hand finished personal fourth quarter halifax took hard fall shoulder taken court undergo scan feeling injured area halifax rallied game winning road game windsor committed personal entire game opponents allowed attempt free throws despite committing followed express game centre home arena strongly benefited accurate free throw shooting going line previously halifax shot free throws windsor tied series road win foul filled game total called contest final quarter turn teams exchanged trash talk officials forced separate members opposing sides multiple occasions halifax started game home low note committing personal minutes halifax pulled away victory putting win away title forward complained windsor playing physical times little bit dirty punches started playing game friday couple play like included came tonight told hey let hits guys play normal game play way play doesn matter play according chronicle herald game featured incidents threatened scale brawl teams coaches frequently break skirmishes confront officials felt bad calls game series express led points end quarter responded run led points halftime windsor entered fourth quarter score dominating quarter shot free throws express kept close final minutes game held halifax win contest forcing decisive game led way windsor points free throws game head coach expressed calls team said protesting league send film commented ridiculous final professional league canada anonymous referee later denounced league policy player fines said guy punch guy face game kicked playing game incident altercation deciding game finals scheduled played april express set place road team supposed arrive warm ups approximately entered stadium approximately hours earlier express assistant coach recounted light dark opened curtain looked working express told opponents leave arena refused player basketball instead windsor attempted ball halifax center player pretending throw punch according player jones tackled ground express guard followed hitting chair referring jones said couple kicked tried swings players came rescue able soon violence escalated staff members players teams involved windsor police received phone men involved altercation time arrived fighting players reached team bus leaving stadium drove airport midway crossed paths london lightning owner member canada executive committee stopped bus middle highway despite spending good hour attempting convince coaches return play game refused according start time game series postponed cancelled express informed left city end night windsor declared canada champions shortly scheduled start time said official statement physical altercation game cancelled citing safety concerns express awarded championship trophy conducted post game celebrations reaction weeks guard recounted team approached unknown man hotel following brawl said pacing lobby phone went didn actually went sat parked car thought going like scouting promptly left team bus incident ignored owner considered motive game morning days brawl guard wrote twitter kicked apartment warning said toronto friday morning message landlord apartment stay telling bags packed stuff moved storage players claimed paid weeks members criticized brutality express series notified players windsor saying coach told said difference playing physical dirty hurting people halifax entered game players suffered series played injured ribs despite players supposedly forced team owner game attempted convince players play coaches favored offered new coaches raised salary avail said play coach bringing coach coach doesn know hand slammed saying instead leading team championship led group talented players broken contracts lifetime controversy owner claimed felt cheated players coaches took responsibility leading ahead schedule believed teams negotiated avoid conflict jersey retired playing halifax said prospect having organization fold sad said players saying true stomach players didn paid got kicked living arrangements criticized league having players union commissioner owners acting like commissioners condemned standing players issued open letter fans wrote time don know future holds thing know sure group good people unite stand safety good values people rights strong principles rise rules winning investigation charges day announced league takes incident seriously working address matter ensure happens future responsible held head coach general manager season appointed league lead investigation conducted interviews spoken representatives teams involved brawl said consider assuming position commissioner approached succeeding fired january named league spokesman investigation league board unanimously approved charges players coaches organization fined league rules head coach fined assistant coach fined coaches received lifetime canada fine imposed player team roster excluding injured time brawl suspended indefinitely investigation later league allowed players apply league coaches remain banned life halifax total fines totaled notified fines mail phone instead learned twitter officially received termination letter contract renewed month effort players coaches final contacted canadian labour board month won decision declared bankruptcy july following day according bankruptcy documents debt later investigation additional fine imposed coach salary month months spent despite unable contact team owner assist help responded charges claiming unfair statement said looking help fight sanctions fines continue work able support family investigation truth happened ignored contacted league representative express head coach faced year suspension bar directing team season received fine coach accepted responsibility role incident windsor guard faced indefinite suspension league investigation said big decision suspend jones year express owner claimed investigation canada coach faced jones previous games aftermath late august strong possibility new team created halifax season new ownership group led advisor ceo soon confirmed defunct team compete season mills expected group shareholders help start organization personally paid flights hotels season chose include ownership group allowed assume position team general manager mills said new team halifax decided way forward raise money solution despite preferred break ties franchise disclosed paid fee required team register canada october team announced halifax hurricanes mills commented think kind appropriate located sports team point view says energy power descriptions hurricanes sort suit kind team want hurricanes signed players hired head coach mills aimed lower ticket prices team games express head coach replaced brother assume position interim head coach february time bill reinstated tony remaining windsor assistant coach bill said happened game happened heat moment probably regret rest life said concern future express organization helped decision jones believed help team fan support grow beginning new season december reinstated applying return league players received unanimous support bennett suspended games received fine fine march player reinstated league paying fine receiving unanimous vote
2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl