Two-time Stanley Cup champion and former Brandon Wheat Kings forward Chris Dingman wishes he could have conducted himself differently when he was involved in the WHL version of the 'Malice at the Palace' with the Regina Pats in the 1994 playoffs.
"I'm surprised anybody from Regina actually wanted me on their show because we got into a brawl back then. It was a bench-clearing brawl and I may or may not have gone in the stands. Well, I did, followed my coach and we each got one game," Dingman said to the SportsCage.
"I've seen clips of it, I've never seen the entire thing, but back then the first guy off the bench got suspended -- everyone else was good. There was a line brawl at the end of the game, me and Colin Cloutier hopped over, our coach horse-collared us by the back of the jersey: 'You're not going anywhere.' I went and grabbed a couple of guys, well, more than a couple and might have gotten a little aggressive. My temper got the best of me in that one."
The referees handed out 184 penalty minutes, 114 went to the Wheat Kings.
In the NBA, an incident known as the 'Malice at the Palace' occurred between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004. Initially, a brawl broke out between the two teams. After the players were separated a fan threw a drink at Ron Artest and he retaliated by heading into the stands to fight.
Ever since that incident in Regina, Dingman's son has had a hard time believing his dad was involved.
"I was taking my younger boy to a tournament in Winnipeg and we stopped at Brandon. This was back when Darren Ritchie was the general manager, Rich was my line mate. We're in the office and he's telling the story to my youngest boy: 'Your dad was a little crazy back in the day.' He's like: 'Whatever.' Rick Dillabough -- worked there for I don't know how many years, Dilly looks like he's 40, I don't even know his age, but he's an awesome guy, I don't think he's aged in 20 years -- he comes flying out of the office and he's like: 'We got into this brawl in Regina,'" Dingman explained.
"He's like: 'Grown men were sprinting up the aisle and they came back double-fisted with pop just to throw at us.' He's like: 'First of all, I've never seen that before. Second of all, how is the concession still open because the game had been over for a good 30 to 40 minutes?' That's probably why they have the rules now where the concession closes halfway through the third."
The Calgary Flames selected Dingman in the first round, 19th overall during the 1994 NHL Draft. His NHL career lasted until 2006. After the Flames, he played with the Colorado Avalanche from 1998 to 2001 followed by a brief stint with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2001. He joined the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2001 to 2006.
Dingman won his first Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001 and won his second Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004. In total, Dingman played 385 games in the NHL, recording 15 goals, 19 assists and 769 penalty minutes.
