Cochrane U13 coach suspended after profanity-laced rant at refs

A U13 hockey coach has been suspended for the league-maximum three games after a tirade against officials during a hockey game on Sunday.

A clip of the incident posted to social media has, at the time of this writing, been viewed nearly 360,000 times.

The incident came late in the first period of a U13AA game between Red Deer and Cochrane.

Officials made a tripping call against the hometown Cochrane team, which triggered the 24-year-old coach's response.

According to the Cochrane Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) website, head coach Joel Litt-Jukes is in his fourth year coaching with the organization. He's a former AAA player.

CTV News attempted to contact Litt-Jukes but was not successful.

In a statement released Tuesday, CMHA president Cory Oaten said, in part:

"We believe in the importance of accountability and learning opportunities. The coach involved has acknowledged their actions and is actively engaged in understanding and rectifying the situation."

Cody Huseby has been an official in the WHL since 2009.

His nephew was playing for the Red Deer team during Sunday's game.

"We can't rationalize it. We can't try to say, 'Well, you don't know the situation,'" Huseby said.

"At the end of the day, it's about respect, and it's about mutual respect for the game.

"We need to be better, and we need to serve the game better."

Former Calgary Flame and current AHL Wrangler Kevin Rooney said Tuesday that he's seen the video.

"I had a really hard time watching it. Those coaches, the parents, everybody in that rink -- those are the role models for these kids and to set that type of example is really tough to see," Rooney said.

The three-game suspension is the maximum allowed under the CMHA rulebook.

Oaten said Tuesday the CMHA is still looking into the incident.