Shutterstock
A junior hockey league player in the United States Premier Hockey League has been hit with a lifetime ban after sucker-punching a referee in the face.
A player for the South Shore Kings, identified as Paul Halloran by Yahoo Sports, was being sent to the penalty box by an official when he lost his cool.
As the 20-year-old Halloran was skating off the ice, he clocked the referee and knocked him to the ice. The USPHL issued a statement after video of the incident went viral.
Safe to say, I don’t think he liked what the ref said to him 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/zJUe61SMUT
— Justin (McLovin) (@tarpsoffmclovin) February 20, 2022
“The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL. The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official, at any time,” the statement read.
“The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban.”
Statement From USPHL Commissioner.
“The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL. The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official, at any time. The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban.
Continued: pic.twitter.com/FFhG4uYWMl— USPHL (@USPHL) February 20, 2022
The incident is being investigated by local authorities, so the USPHL said it has no further comment at this time.
