Finnish Elite League player suspended for tripping referee during game (w/video)
Well here's something you don't hear about every day when it comes to professional hockey. Tommi Tika, a player with HPK Hameenlinna of the Finnish Elite League (Sm-Liiga) has received a suspension for tripping a referee behind the net during a game last Friday. The ruling from the league, handed down Tuesday, said that even though there was no penalty on the play, the trip was either intentional or negligent and deserved a suspension. Tika has already sat for sat for one game while waiting for the disciplinary committee to make its decision. He will sit for three more for a total suspension of four games. Here's the video with the trip:
Personally, this seems like an unfortunate accident to me and nowhere even close to intentional. There was no penalty on the play, so the referee himself must not have felt one was warranted. In its ruling, the league stated Tika was given the opportunity to defend himself in a written statement to the disciplinary committee, but apparently it wasn't enough.
"Referee immunity means that players must look ahead when skating and avoid contact with the referee in all ways. Even if in a game situation the referee is in front of the player from the player's point of view, the player does not have the right to skate over the referee. Even in surprising situations where the player is unable to avoid contact with the referee, the player shall at least minimise the intensity of contact with the referee.," the league said in its official ruling.
