Hockey Player Gets Suspended for Over a Year After Hitting a Referee With His Stick
A hockey player was suspended for over a year after he hit a referee with his stick during a game.
In an Italian Hockey League game, the HC Falcons Brixen/Bressanone 20-year-old defenseman Nicholas Pezzetta hit a referee with his stick after a faceoff.
The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG), has officially released a ruling on the incident. According to them, Pezzetta hit the referee in an attempt to injure him.
More from Hockey Worldwide:
Pezzetta reportedly «approached [the referee] with the intention of injuring him and hit him from behind at calf height with his stick.» The referee fell to the ground «in pain» and Pezzetta was handed a 20-minute penalty.
The 20-year-old defender has scored 3 (0+3) points in 9 games in the Italian Hockey League this season."
Watch how it went down in the following video:
Exhibiting violent behavior towards a referee can never lead to anything good. If the player intentionally hit him, he deserved a lengthy suspension. However, upon rewatching the incident, we can't help but wonder if the contact was accidental. After he hit the ref, the player raised his arm, seemingly apologizing, indicating remorse. If that's the case, a 13-month suspension would make no sense.
But we're not the judges here and we'll let experts make the calls.
And no, we looked it up, and he's not related to Montreal Canadiens' forward Michael Pezzetta.
