The action comes a week after the video of the fans was first widely shared on social media. The Stars didn’t name the fan who was banned. The Stars were only able to identify the fan who purchased the tickets, but not the other individuals in the video.
“We identified and spoke with the individual that purchased the tickets and will be banning the individual indefinitely from American Airlines Center,” a team spokesperson said in a statement.
“Additionally, we are increasing in-arena messaging regarding the Fan Code of Conduct and how our fans can report violations, along with prioritizing staff training to identify and handle situations that arise.
“Any type of discriminatory or hateful behavior will not be tolerated and has no place in our arena. Creating and sustaining environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful is a non-negotiable for the Dallas Stars.”
The 18-second video, first posted on Reddit, shows a group of male Stars fans sitting in the upper deck making the gesture to the rhythm of “Puck off” by Pantera — the Stars’ goal song — at Dallas’ Dec. 21 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at American Airlines Center.
The user who posted the video wrote, “These boys were sitting in front of us doing a Nazi salute every time the Stars scored. I’ve been to several games and never seen anything like this before. I recorded them and sent it to arena management, but they said they couldn’t find the boys despite me giving them their exact seat numbers.”
An American Airlines Center spokesperson said last week that the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination” and launched an investigation into the video as a result.
The behavior violates both the AAC’s fan code of conduct and the NHL’s, which states, “Language, gestures, behavior, clothing, signs, or other personal expressions that negatively reference or demean a specific race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, or other identity-based characteristic will not be tolerated. Such conduct is strictly prohibited regardless of whether it directly or indirectly references a particular individual or a group of individuals.”
The NHL code also states anyone who is determined to have engaged in conduct contrary to the league’s policy is subject to penalties, including, but not limited to: seat relocation, ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from NHL events.
The NHL did not immediately respond to The News’ questions about whether the fans will be banned from all league events.