Amazing ice hockey mystery solved

EVERY frustrated sports coach has been there at some point.

When things go wrong during a match it's normally the team boss that lashes out - ranting at the ref or chucking a chair.

Even Socceroos manager Holger Osieck had a sideline tantrum as Australia laboured to a two-all draw with Oman on Tuesday night.

But 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.

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Hockey backs tax cuts, family payments

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says families can have tax cuts and payments without a carbon tax. Source: AAP

SHADOW treasurer Joe Hockey says a coalition government will be able to deliver tax cuts and welfare rises without the carbon tax, but details won't be released until at least 10 days into the election campaign.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on Tuesday told The Australian newspaper that despite the abolition of the carbon tax and the $15 billion in compensation over four years that comes with it, he was confident that "people will be better off under us".

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has used a government analysis to claim that families would be $2300 a year worse off under an Abbott government.

Mr Hockey told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday the coalition would not be releasing its tax and family payments policy until the release of the Pre-Election Fiscal Outlook by Treasury 10 days into the election campaign starting in August.

"Let me be very clear, if there is no carbon tax there is no need for compensation," he said.

"What we've said is families will be better off under the coalition."

"They would not have a carbon tax, there would be welfare payments to families and tax cuts based on levels without the carbon tax package."

Mr Hockey said the coalition had no faith in the government's budget numbers which had been "dead wrong" for the past five years.

He said the coalition would find savings in the federal budget to fully fund its promises.

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