Minnesota Wild assistant coach Darryl Sydor was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on Thursday, according to Nicole Norfleet of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Per Norfleet, Sydor had a blood alcohol level of .30 when Fridley, Minn., police pulled him over as he was driving his 12-year-old son to a hockey game. Sydor, 43, could face drunken driving as well as child endangerment charges.
The Wild have acknowledged Sydor's arrest via a statement on the team website:
"We are aware of the reports regarding Darryl Sydor. We are continuing to gather information and will have further comment at the appropriate time," according to the statement.
A "citizen" called police to report Sydor as a possible drunken driver. After arriving on the scene, police determined that Sydor was displaying "erratic behavior," and when stopped, Sydor had bloodshot, watery eyes and "slow, slurred speech," Fridley Police Lt. Mike Monsrud told Norfleet.
Sydor had difficulty locating his driver's license and passed by it several times before locating it and handing it to police. Sydor then failed field sobriety tests and was taken to the Fridley Police Department where the blood alcohol test was administered, per Norfleet. Police were able to make contact with the boy's mother.
"One of the officers actually drove the child to the hockey game in Brooklyn Park," Monsrud said, according to Norfleet.
Sydor was the seventh overall pick in the 1990 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He played in the NHL for 18 seasons and won Stanley Cups with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.
Sydor joined the Wild when head coach Mike Yeo was hired in 2011.
