Wild Assistant Coach Pleads Guilty To Second-Degree DWI

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he was driving drunk in late August with his 12-year-old son in the car.

Darryl Sydor was arrested in Fridley on Aug. 21 while he was driving his son to a hockey game in Plymouth. He was driving southbound on Highway 65 and Medtronic Parkway in Fridley when another motorist reported a vehicle driving erratically.

When Sydor was pulled over, the officer observed that he had watery, bloodshot eyes, smelled a strong odor of alcohol and said Sydor was slurring his speech. A breath test at the scene showed he had a blood alcohol level more than three times the state's legal limit for driving. He initially had a blood alcohol level of .247 at the scene, but during processing at the Fridley Police Department, his level was tested at .30.

Before he was arrested and taken to jail, Sydor told his crying son "I'm sorry" several times. Sydor has battled alcohol in the past and had gone through treatment about a year ago.

Sydor was sentenced to 365 days in the Anoka County Jail with credit 60 days already served. He'll serve the remaining 305 days stayed over the course of four years, which is during a probationary period. It's a staggered sentence of 15 days at a time. Sydor's attorney, Ryan Pacyga, said Monday he will serve two weekends in a county workhouse.

He also must complete treatment and not have any drug or alcohol-related offenses.