Team Captain Receives Ban for Striking Referee with Hockey Stick
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Italian hockey player Nicholas Pezzetta faces serious repercussions after hitting the referee with his hockey stick.
Nicholas Pezzetta, a 20-year-old defenseman for the HC Falcons Brixen/Bressanone, struck a referee with his stick following a faceoff in an Italian Hockey League game.
A formal ruling regarding the incident has been issued by the Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG). They claim that Pezzetta struck the referee who immediately dropped to the ice in pain, intending to hurt him.
"The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) has issued a 13-month ‼️ suspension to HC Falcons Brixen/Bressanone captain 🇮🇹Nicholas Pezzetta for hitting a referee with his stick.
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."
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."
Regardless of the outside circumstances, perhaps it wasn't intentional at all but Pezzetta's acts were promptly punished by the two Italian League officials and management.
You can watch how the incident unfolded here:
Nothing positive can ever come from acting violently toward a referee. The player should have been suspended for a long time if he had hit him on purpose. Rewatching the incident, though, makes us question whether the contact was unintentional. The player appeared to apologize and show regret after hitting the referee by raising his arm. A 13-month suspension would be absurd if that were the case. I guess we'll leave it to the pros to make the calls.
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