Suspension for Marchment contact with Referee?

[DaveG]

His father would have been proud.

nah, it was his stick, not his knee.

 

[serp]

He had absolutely no force behind the tap. It really was as light and meaningless as contact can be.

But that means nothing. You can't touch an official. They need to be free of any concern about contact when they're on the ice. They can't be expected to do their job if they think a player might be hitting them with a stick. You can't touch an official. It is the definition of 'automatic suspension'. The end.

Rule book says it's discretion of the ref that was involved and he didn't think it warranted a suspension.

 

[banks]

Rule book says it's discretion of the ref that was involved and he didn't think it warranted a suspension.

Yes. Allow me to correct myself and say "it's the de-facto definition of 'automatic suspension'".

I think the ref made a mistake by not doing something about this. And I'm not a homer, I follow the Leafs.

 

[serp]

Yes. Allow me to correct myself and say "it's the de-facto definition of 'automatic suspension'".

I think the ref made a mistake by not doing something about this. And I'm not a homer, I follow the Leafs.

Not the first time Refs let questionable moments where players made contact with the ref go. Unsure what Marchment was thinking. Probably nothing. Got lucky the ref , probably correctly , assessed he didn't mean anything malicious by it. Still not something a player should do even if he has no bad intentions.

 

[Zbynek]

At least he didn't go full Wideman.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Did he call him the C word and boast about playing in the OHL?

 

[FDBluth]

He had absolutely no force behind the tap. It really was as light and meaningless as contact can be.

But that means nothing. You can't touch an official. They need to be free of any concern about contact when they're on the ice. They can't be expected to do their job if they think a player might be hitting them with a stick. You can't touch an official. It is the definition of 'automatic suspension'. The end.

Honestly, there was some force behind it. He kinda torqued/speared it around his kneecap area which could be nasty. I actually have no idea about this but I feel like refs probably wear some kind of knee/shinpad like a player's so maybe he didn't feel it, but if he had no pads he could get a gnarly bruise and swollen knee from something like that. Marchments know all about knees so I'm sure he knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

It's the playoff so he getting 2-3 games max.

But Ottawa also lose theirs first round pick.

 

[Summer Rose]

Honestly, there was some force behind it. He kinda torqued/speared it around his kneecap area which could be nasty. I actually have no idea about this but I feel like refs probably wear some kind of knee/shinpad like a player's so maybe he didn't feel it, but if he had no pads he could get a gnarly bruise and swollen knee from something like that. Marchments know all about knees so I'm sure he knew exactly what he was doing.

Officials do wear shin guards underneath their trousers that are pretty similar to the ones players wear. I actually wore ones designed for players when I officiated games. The ones specifically designed for officials I think are just a little smaller to enable extra mobility, but they’re otherwise the same at least in the sense that they’re a hard plastic shell (including a knee cap) that covers the entire shin and knee cap all the way down to around the top of the skate tongue. They usually wrap around the entire leg with a little soft padding in the back, just like the shin guards that players wear.

Officials also wear a protective girdle to protect the upper leg, a cup/pelvic protector (unless they’re stupid), and elbow pads (also either identical to or very similar to the ones worn by players). A padded shirt is sometimes worn (I did at least, and probably saw about half the officials I worked with wearing one too) underneath the sweater. Then, obviously the helmet and visor.

While there is protection, it can still hurt like hell to get hit by a puck going fast enough (I suffered a broken collarbone once from a deflected slap shot). Also, unlike the equipment worn by skaters, it is not designed for being body checked, so combined with the officials generally not being prepared to be hit by a player, it’s extra fun when that does happen.

 

[Mattb124]

Honestly, there was some force behind it. He kinda torqued/speared it around his kneecap area which could be nasty. I actually have no idea about this but I feel like refs probably wear some kind of knee/shinpad like a player's so maybe he didn't feel it, but if he had no pads he could get a gnarly bruise and swollen knee from something like that. Marchments know all about knees so I'm sure he knew exactly what he was doing.

The refs probably have shin pads made of space aged materials that are so advanced that a slash that would otherwise cause a gnarly bruise wouldn't be felt or even heard.

You are trying too hard.

 

[mouser]

Adding some info and context. The NHL will do one of three things when an incident like this occurs with contact to a referee by a player.

A) Use the NHL Rulebook defined 10 game suspension, or

B) Determine the conduct was so egregious that a permanent or longer suspension than 10 games is warranted under the CBA on-ice conduct clause, or

C) Nothing


Why (C) instead of a fine or lesser suspension? Two primary reasons come to mind:

1) The NHL doesn’t want to water down the NHL Rulebook 10 game suspension by introducing lesser penalties for Player contact with an Official, such as a fine or less than 10 game suspension.

2) I don’t believe the mandatory NHL Rulebook suspensions have been collectively bargained between the NHL and NHLPA. The NHL may want to avoid discipling a Player for contact with an Official in a way that could introduce new collective bargaining leverage for the Player Union.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I don't think you can do that, it would be a bad precedent if its only a fine.

If he slashed him why didnt the ref react? or hand out a 10 minute gross misconduct with a game?

 

[Summer Rose]

If he slashed him why didnt the ref react? or hand out a 10 minute gross misconduct with a game?

"Gross misconduct" as a penalty type has been removed from the NHL rules (but it's still in place in Hockey Canada rules). I would guess that it was removed because it was considered redundant, being effectively very similar to a game misconduct (actions that formerly incurred a gross misconduct now incur a game misconduct instead). But it did remind me of a tangent I was thinking about last night in terms of the effective difference between a game misconduct and a match penalty. Either one results in the player being kicked out of the game, but a match penalty automatically awards a 5-minute power play to the non-offending team (barring additional penalties on the play). In practice, many actions that would also get you a game misconduct incur a major penalty as well (however a game misconduct for abuse of officials is not one of them), therefore having the same effect as a match penalty, at least within the game.

The difference lies in how things are handled after the game. USA Hockey has a clear answer.

Game misconduct: automatic suspension of at least one game (longer if it's not your first game misconduct penalty of the season - the suspension is equal to a number of games equal to the number of game misconducts you have received in the same season). No automatic disciplinary hearing. I think there might have been something like a disciplinary hearing if you got a third in the same season, but don't remember.

Match penalty: automatic indefinite suspension pending a disciplinary hearing. The disciplinary hearing can result in a longer suspension, or they can rescind it.

I'm not entirely sure what happens in the NHL, other than that a game misconduct itself is not an automatic suspension (with an exception like if it's for "abuse of officials" then it carries an automatic 10-game suspension, which can be made longer if deemed necessary or maybe reduced on appeal). It's probably something like that DOPS is not required to even look at it if it's a game misconduct, but they are if it's a match penalty. In practice, if you get either one, there's a good chance you'll hear from DOPS anyway.

Gross misconduct from a Hockey Canada game? No idea.

 

[Sensin5]

If it was Kadri he'd be suspended for 365 games

If it was a Senator, the team would have to forfeit minimum 30% of games to divisional opponents for next 5 years and 10 year no draft picks above 4th round.

 

[M88K]

I think Dallas should just take it upon themselves to suspend him for the remainder of the PO.

Can't be too careful here.
If the league won't do anything the team should.

 

[New User Name]

Doesn't surprise me.

 

[New User Name]

If it was a Senator, the team would have to forfeit minimum 30% of games to divisional opponents for next 5 years and 10 year no draft picks above 4th round.

Not a Sens fan but I don't find it odd that the NHL changed their minds after Vegas came crying about.

Bottom line is the league f***ed up. They should have all information before a trade is finalized. Yes even partial no trade clauses.

 

[New User Name]

If he slashed him why didnt the ref react? or hand out a 10 minute gross misconduct with a game?

You really have to ask that question?
There's 2 answers, no sense, no feelings
or
the obvious one I won't mention.

 

[Mr Nogatco]

I don't think you can do that, it would be a bad precedent if its only a fine.

is he out of the hospital yet?