Attacked referee, teen suspended for season

RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP, QUE. — A teenage hockey player from Quebec has been suspended for the rest of the season after using his stick to attack a referee in the neck area.

The incident occurred Nov. 23 in Rivière-du-Loup, northeast of Quebec City.

A disciplinary committee met with the teenager this week and handed down the suspension immediately.

“For us it’s obviously a severe sanction but there have been precedents,” Eric Trottier, director of operations at Hockey Québec-Chaudière-Appalaches, said in an interview.

“The important thing is we don’t have an incident in the future that is more serious and that leads to serious injury.

“Hockey is a game and, although it’s an isolated incident, we want the sentence to be exemplary enough to serve as a deterrent to other young players,” he added.

The boy attacked the referee after the official had given him a 10-minute penalty.

He later visited the referee in hospital to apologize.

The teen had not played since because he was serving a suspension of several games.