The team is being rebooked on a later flight. They were scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. Thursday but Delta Air Lines officials said the players exhibited “unruly behaviour”, as the Globe & Mail reports.
Betsy Talton, a Delta spokeswoman, said in a statement: “In order to ensure the safe operation of the flight, the crew of flight 1266 denied boarding to 30 passengers who were flying together and displaying unruly behaviour and those passengers are being rebooked on a future flight.”
Extra police were also called in for precautionary measures. According to a Buffalo news outlet, the players arrived at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport “intoxicated.” The team reportedly celebrated their 5-3 come-from-behind win by drinking at a bar at their Buffalo hotel.
Russia won gold in the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship on Wednesday night, their first gold since 2003. Canada took gold from 2005 to 2009. The championship is for under-20 hockey players from across the world.
