Bruins forward Max Jones receives unsportsmanlike penalty for slashing the referee
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Max Jones, a forward for the Boston Bruins, had a rough start to the new NHL season on Tuesday night as he slashed the referee's arm.
The Boston Bruins decided to play their season opener against the Florida Panthers despite the possibility of having to postpone it because of Hurricane Milton, and things haven't gone well for them so far. The Boston Bruins have not been the same since Mark Kaselic and AJ Greer dropped their gloves early in the game.
Trailing 6-2 late in the game, In the heat of a confrontation with Florida Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues, Jones inadvertently slashed the arm of the referee with his hockey stick.
After the hit, Jones went straight to see how the referee was doing and apologized for the confusion, saying that it was an honest error in a rough-and-tumble match.
With his team trailing 6-2 at the end of the game, Jones was sent to the box for roughing. The defending Stanley Cup Champions were clearly making a statement because they dominated the entire game. Although accidental, slashing a referee will still get you sent to the box.
Following discussion about the play, referees T.J. Luxmore and Kelly Sutherland gave Jones a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Despite making contact with an official, it didn't seem to be a purposeful act as required by the Physical Abuse of Officials rule:
Any player who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official, in any manner attempts to injure an official, physically demeans, or deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall receive a game misconduct penalty.
Since there was no in-game penalty for physical abuse of officials, the automatic suspension would also not have occurred. Once more, given that this is an accident, the decision is correct.
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