WATCH : Fan gets knocked out during NHL game after hurling racial slur 

The Dallas Stars were victorious against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night. They comfortably beat them 4-1 and clenched the top spot in the NHL's Central Division.

According to the New York Post, a fan wearing a Jamie Benn Stars jersey was seen jawing with another spectator following obscene language and racial slurs.

WARNING: This article contains violence and references to explicit language

In an ugly scene, the Stars fan said to the man in the row behind him:

“Step down here and I’ll box your a**.”

The man, wearing a black polo shirt, remained calm, up to the point when the fan said:

“All right then. Stay the f**k up there. Dumba** n****.”

To which he replied with a punch to the fans' jaw. From there, a short brawl ensued. Watch the video below:

Onlookers are able to pull them away as the abuser gets pinned to the seats. Poweless at this point, the Dallas fan is heard saying:

“Hell naw, I ain’t done s**t. He hit me first. F**k that."

The fan provided an update on his Twitter, saying he received threats regarding the incident from the fan and/or his associates on Instagram.

It is unclear as to what started the tussle between the two and what transpired after the fan was brought under control. There have been no official statements from the Dallas Stars or the NHL regarding the incident.

Past incidents where NHL fans turned violent or abusive

The incident at the Stars game was not the first time that NHL fans have been involved in violent situations.

In December 2022, a fight broke out between fans at the the Mullett Arena in Arizona. There, a male supporter had the tip of his finger bitten off. See the video below:

The altercation continued even as a police officer was trying to break up the fight but was sent flying down into other seats. The fight was finally stopped when a number of officers arrived at the scene.

According to the Daily Mail, an unidentified individual was arrested on scene for aggravated assault.

Another instance of a fan brawl occurred in an NHL game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche in November 2022. Here, a fan was badly injured after being pushed down a flight of stairs, sustaining a head injury. He was immediately rushed to intensive care. The culprit, along with a woman, tried to escape but were arrested by arena security.

The NHL is not the only sport that sees this kind of behavior. Such scenes occur in soccer, the NFL, the NBA and just about every sport with a crowd. Social psychologists have a field day disecting these kinds of incidents and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.