Mother of Bald Princeton Hockey Goalie Offended at “Hat Trick Chants”

Barbara Jones, 51, of Woodstock, VT, said she was offended to hear the crowd yelling “hat trick” at her bald son.
“It’s clear that these students were full of hate and were just looking for something to pick on,” she said to a Dunyun reporter after the game.
The chants began shortly after Hewett, her son, let in the third straight goal from Dartmouth wing Will Marshall. What started as a few catcalls here and there steadily turned into a rhythmic chant that, according to one Dartmouth fan, “definitely rattled him.”

“I mean, that guy comes onto our turf and puts up a terrible performance like that? I don’t care how sensitive he is; he deserved what he got,” said the fan.
According to his mother, Hewett started losing his hair around his sixteenth birthday.
“It’s something that he’s always been really sensitive about… but this is the first time we’ve ever experienced any explicit anti-baldism before.”
Mrs. Jones has been coming to her son’s hockey games for over a decade and, while the fans have sometimes been rowdy, this “took it to a new level.”
When asked after the game about the chants, Hewett said, “I’m confused how they even knew that I was bald. I mean, I was wearing my helmet for the whole game, and my roster picture was taken back when I had more hair, so they must’ve either been in the locker or done some serious research on Facebook or something.” But, no matter how the fans found out, Hewett was “very offended and almost embarrassed for Dartmouth. How could they have students like that?”
One fan claimed that “hat trick” was a common name for a set of three goals in a game, but was still wary of causing offense.
“I had no idea during the game that the goalie was bald. We were debating whether to chant ‘hat trick’ or ‘cap prank’, but we thought that ‘cap prank’ might have come across as an ethnic slur. As soon as the game was over and the hockey goalie took off his helmet, I saw the mistake we had made. I’m so sorry.”
Mrs. Jones, however, is not so quick to accept an apology.
“If it starts with anti-baldism, what’s next? We could have fans making fun of my sons for their eye color or something like that. It’s a fine line, but it has to be drawn somewhere. I know that next time I come to a Dartmouth sporting event, I’ll come cautious.”
Dartmouth hockey coach Ralph Damford said that he was unaware of the anti-baldism chants when they were happening.
“Normally, the fans know when and where to stop. I guess something must have tipped them over the edge. You can be certain that we’ll be keeping a closer eye on them, next time.”
Dartmouth defeated Princeton, 4-1. They are scheduled to play again on February 17th.