Edmonton Police warn fans after “unacceptable” incidents during watch parties

It's become one of the great sights across the National Hockey League during the postseason, as thousands of fans gather outside of their respective arenas during both home and away games to watch their favorite team on the big screen. 

But after what is being referred to as several "unacceptable things" took place in Edmonton recently, it was announced that security will be beefed up in an effort to make the memorable experience for both staff and fans as enjoyable and safe as possible. 

Among the incidents that took place were two people being stabbed near the watch party on Saturday night; police would fire at the suspect soon afterwards. Meanwhile, there were also reports and video evidence of barricades being broken through by fans, along with a bizarre report of fingers being bitten. 

“This is about the safety of the staff and the safety of the fans,” Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McPhee said during a news conference Monday morning. “The reality is there are some unacceptable things that happened and that we need to nip that in the bud going forward.”

"The fact that we have people pushing through barricades…a bit of unruly behaviour that makes it unsafe for others. That's not acceptable," McFee continued.

"If somebody is gonna go out of their way to harm somebody, they're gonna be dealt with accordingly and rapidly, and they're gonna be held accountable. When I see videos of individuals being pushed down and we have a civilian employee that showed up for work and had someone with a broken ankle, that's not OK and that will be dealt with accordingly."

The Oilers will be taking on the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; the series will begin on Wednesday from Sin City.