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Former Bruin Mike Milbury Charged With Assaulting 12-Year-Old Hockey Player

BOSTON (CBS) – Former Boston Bruin Mike Milbury has been charged with assault and battery on a 12-year-old hockey player, Brookline Police said Friday.

"Milbury picked up my son by the shirt, shook him, and was screaming and swearing at him," the player's mother told WBZ-TV. "Its horrific. You can't put your hands on a child."

The incident happened December 9 at the rink at Larz Anderson Park during a Pee Wee hockey game.  Milbury was an assistant coach for one of the teams, the Boch Blazers.

"I'm told Mike did everything right," says Paul Cokinos, the owner of the Blazers, "that he broke it up, but didn't touch any kid inappropriately."

The incident was reported to police the next day.

WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports

"Mike Milbury denies any allegations that there was an assault of any kind. He simply intervened in an altercation between his son and an opposing player. No one was struck, no one was injured and no one was threatened," Millbury's lawyer Dan Rabinovitz said in a statement.

Milbury was not arrested, but he has been summonsed to Brookline District Court to answer the charges.

He will be charged with one count of assault and battery on a child, one count of threats to commit a crime, and disorderly conduct.

"He committed a crime.  He needs to be reprimanded.  I don't want this to happen to anyone else," the player's mother told WBZ-TV.

No other details about the incident are available at this point.

According to the Boston Herald, "after Milbury's son and a player for the other team got into a scrape on the ice, Milbury charged out onto the rink and verbally berated and grabbed and shook the 12-year-old opposing player."

Several witnesses posted their versions of the incident on online message boards including Hockey DBoard and HockeyBlogs.net.

WBZ-TV's Bill Shields reports.

Milbury, who lives in Needham, is currently a hockey analyst for NBC Sports and in Canada.

"In our discussions with Mike, we both came to the conclusion that he should remain off the air while focusing on his affairs," said an NBC Sports spokesperson.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports.

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He played 12 seasons with the Bruins from 1975 to 1987 and coached the team for two seasons from 1988 to 1990.

WBZ-TV's Bill Shields contributed to this report.

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