Adult Snatches Puck Meant for Child at Hockey Game — and the Washington Capitals Ask 'Why?'

Hockey is a ruthless sport, and apparently that applies to its fans, too.

Before an NHL game on Monday night in Vancouver, where the Washington Capitals played the Canucks at their home arena, goalie Braden Holtby attempted to toss a puck to a group of kids on the other side of the glass. Before it reached their hands, though, a grown man standing beside them snatched it for himself. Then he and his female partner-in-almost-crime laughed excitedly, even though Holtby was plainly staring them down.

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The team’s Twitter account later shared a video of the incident with the caption, “Why?”

Bizarrely, this is the third time since April that a puck has been stolen from a child at a Capitals game. Just two weeks ago, Holtby made a similar attempt, which was intercepted by a man in a suit. Afterward he motioned for him to move out of the way so the little boy next to him could catch the souvenir.

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And in April, a 6-year-old girl named Keelan Moxley went viral because of her smile when she finally caught a puck after three tosses by forward Brett Connolly. Later that week, she was hosted by the Stanley Cup-winning team for the fifth game of the Eastern Conference First Round. She led the crowd in a chant of “Let’s go Caps!” and was gifted a stick Connolly autographed.