When Boston Bruins ice hockey assistant coach Geoff Ward got frustrated during his team’s recent overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it led to an amazing chain of events.

Ward was having technical difficulties with his electronic earpiece during the NHL game and angrily unclipped the device on the sideline.

Television footage appeared to show him nonchalantly throwing the earpiece behind him over a glass partition – and it landing directly into a stunned male spectator’s beer.

“Holy crap what are the odds!?” one person commented on YouTube.

But the truth was even weirder.

What landed in the man’s drink was actually a smelling salt – accidentally thrown about five metres from the Bruin’s bench by player Tyler Seguin.

The right winger confessed to being the thrower in a short video posted on the Bruin’s website.

“It was before the third period and sometimes I use the smelling salt just to wake me up a little bit,” he said.

Seguin apologised to Ward for making it appear as though he was responsible.

But the Canadian-born assistant coach took it all in his stride.

“Let’s be straight – if it was me that was the culprit I would have definitely bought him another beer,” Ward added.