The Greater Toronto Hockey League has suspended an on-ice official for two years for an incident at Central Arena on Sunday night.
The linesman was banned for allegedly using too much force while breaking up an altercation between two 15-year-old players in a game between the Mississauga North Stars and Humber Valley minor midget AA teams.
"The official has been suspended for two years for his excessive use of force and inappropriate handling of an altercation," said GTHL executive director Scott Oakman "He will not be welcomed back on the GTHL officiating staff at any time."
"This is the first complaint we've had with this official," added Oakman, who noted the suspension will mean an end to any Hockey Canada games for that same period.
GTHL third vice-president Steve Kupresak, chair of the referee supervisors committee, says the league has zero tolerance to anyone manhandling a player no matter how difficult the situation is.
"Regardless of the provocation, if any, this is an unacceptable response under any circumstance," Kupresak said. "Our referees are well trained in how to handle situations like this."
GTHL hockey operations manager Peter Kourtis said the police were called that night, but no charges were laid.
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Re: GTHL Bans Official After On-Ice Scuffle - Toronto Star Article
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December 12 2008, 8:51 AM
The media exposure this is getting worries me, because of the backlash effect it is going to have.
Last night, I was talking to a longtime linesman in this league, and he was telling me he had just finished up a game on another pad in Whitby. He broke up a fight, and the coach immediately started yelling that he "manhandled" the goalie. Only problem...he never touched the goalie. Therein lies the problem...now, after all of this, any coach, player, or parent looking for a little extra attention is going to use this against a linesman who breaks up a fight. I see a slippery slope here.
I know we've had appreciation threads on these forums before for our officials here in the OJHL, but when there is a story like this one out here, it really makes me appreciate the quality and the professionalism of our guys in stripes. Thank you to all referees and linesmen out there; you do a fantastic job, night in and night out!!!
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that we should thank the officials for their dedication to the game but there are some linesman that do take liberties.I have witnessed altercations were injuries to the combatants were the result of over zealous officials. I think it is about time this should be examined by league officials.
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Referee's are much the same as any person in a position of authority and power, some understand how to use it properly, most don't. You can thank whomever you want for their thankless positions in the game, problem is someone is footing the bill for them to do their job and most of the time they do not do it properly. The entire officiating system needs to be overhauled in a big way otherwise there will be more and more incidents of this nature and eventually it will end up in situations similar to out in Alberta where someone takes it upon themselves to punch the lights out of one of these 'holier than thou' officials who believe they are untouchable. There should be a balance between the players and referee's on the ice which would induce a mutual respect between the groups. As a percentage I think you would find far more problem referee's than problem players.
I do appreciate that there is a dearth of referee's in Ontario but the one's who do choose to take on the responsibility should understand that it is a responsibility to the players on the ice and not to themselves and their supervisors in the stands.
The game is about the players, not the guys in stripes.
Rant finished.
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There are always two sides to every story and when it comes to the "face" of the GTHL any bad press is to be avoided. It therefore comes as no surprise to me that the GTHL would strike swiftly with the suspension and make sure the press was informed. What is lost ,initially at least, is the fact that the linesman's side wasn't included in the original story. Having seen linesmen punched, pushed, knocked to the ice and abused in other ways during altercations, where it is their job to break things up, it is surprising that this type of situation hasn't surfaced more often. Having not seen the incident it is hard to directly comment but one thing that needs to be stressed is that the parent coach is NOT objective when it comes to his own kid in any situation.
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I wholeheartedly disagree with the assertion that the majority of referees or linesmen are problematic.
In almost 13 years of doing what I do, I have never ONCE seen an incident of a linesman or referee taking an unnecessary liberty with a player while breaking up a fight. NEVER.
Meanwhile, I HAVE seen linesmen and referees spat upon, punched, elbowed, kicked, sworn at, threatened verbally, berated in the parking lot, and a whole lot of other unspeakable acts cast on them. I once saw an instance where after a fight near the end of the game, somebody had smeared feces on the referees' dressing room door.
Yet never have I seen inappropriate or unreasonable force used by a linesman when breaking up a fight. I've seen players restrained, tackled to the ice, spoken to in a loud voice, but never anything unreasonable.
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I predict that the GTHL will require cameras be in their game rinks soon. When the objectivity of the referee is questionable then so it their report.
Technically, it's pretty easy and as long as the rinks get access to the video (digitally stored) then it will become a security plus for them as well. It's a slippery slope but that's the trend.
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Minor hockey linesman says teen hit him first during game
By BRETT CLARKSON, SUN MEDIA
A minor hockey linesman accused of scrapping with a 15-year-old player during a game lashed out at the boy's family yesterday and said the teen attacked him first with a series of sucker punches to the face.
"Basically I'm out of a job because I was assaulted by a punk," the angered linesman said yesterday.
The fight erupted in the dying seconds of Sunday's 3-0 victory by the AA midget Mississauga North Stars over the Humber Valley Sharks -- the team on which the boy plays defence.
The Greater Toronto Hockey League agrees the boy struck first.
North Stars assistant coach Rick Krajewski, 52, also said yesterday that while the linesman's actions could not be justified, it wasn't the linesman who initiated the fight.
"Every parent I've talked to about this has said the same thing, and that is unequivocally, this kid threw the first punch," Krajewski said.
The linesman wants his job back and maintains he wasn't trained to properly deal with being attacked by a player.
He said he didn't know what else to do besides fight back, given the fact the boy -- who was actually bigger than the linesman -- was raining punches down on him.
"All I did was one-hand him, and I pushed him up against the boards, not violently, and I held him there. I was looking at the other player getting off the ice when (the boy) swore he would kill me," he said. "Then I turned my head around, and bang, I got hit."
The linesman, in his early 40s, said the melee started after he separated the 15-year-old Sharks player from a North Stars player because the Sharks player had been aggressively following behind the player in an effort to draw his opponent into a fight.
The linesman likened the incident to that of NHLer Todd Bertuzzi, who infamously broke Colorado Avalance centre Steve Moore's neck from behind in 2004.
Krajewski, who doesn't know the linesman, said the same thing in a separate interview. "(The player) was putting on a big show for the whole crowd because they were losing 3-0, and he was trying to Todd Bertuzzi some kid up the ice," he said.
Krajewski said his son, Shane, was punched in the back of the head by the same player just seconds before.
The GTHL also agrees the boy struck first.
"The reports are that the player struck the official," said GTHL hockey operations manager Peter Kourtis, citing witness reports taken by league brass.
BANNED FROM LEAGUE
However, the linesman is now banned from officiating in the league because he fought with the boy instead of skating away or defusing the situation.
He is also banned for two years from officiating any Hockey Canada game, which includes most amateur, professional, and university games played in Canada.
The linesman has the option to appeal to the GTHL, and indicated he likely will.
Still, GTHL executive director Scott Oakman said it's unlikely the linesman will officiate another GTHL game.
"Given the level of hockey we're talking about, we just don't feel comfortable putting him back in that environment again," Oakman said. "They often have to be the rock in the middle of chaos."
The league won't release the official's name because it doesn't want to "lynch" somebody over a minor hockey game, he said.
The linesman also refused to confirm his name.
His account of the fight contradicts claims of the accused teen's father that his son was suddenly attacked for no reason by the linesman.
The father's claims that the official threatened to kill his son were also false -- and that the teen himself uttered the threat, the linesman said.
"I heard only, 'I'll kill you,' then the punches, that's all I remember," the linesman said. "If (the dad) heard it, it came from his own son's mouth."
The linesman said police were called and interviewed him at the rink. They decided to not press charges, he said.
Toronto Police officers who responded to the call couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.
The player's father, who refuses to be identified, declined to comment yesterday and stuck by his earlier assertions his son wasn't the aggressor.
The GTHL agrees the player punched the linesman, started the fight.
The linesman does not dispute that he fought with player.
Police agreed with linesman and did not charge him. I bet the witnesses statements showed the linesman's version to be true.
Linesman claims he was not properly trained to handle the situation.
I see it as the father knows his son threathened the linesman and is trying to deflect the blame.
I think both should be banned.
Linesman does not deny striking player. No excuse. Never ever strike a player. I agree with the lifetime ban. The GTHL cannot allow him to come back regardless, if he ever did anything like that again the GTHL would wide open for a lawsuit.
The player punched the on ice official, well he should be gone too. If not for life, then at least for the rest of the season.
If it stays at only six games for punching an on ice official, then the GTHL is asking for trouble in the future.
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You beat me to it Wex. ( finding article) by 10 minutes-lol
I agree totally. Players, parents and officials in an altercation, whether verbal or otherwise, should not be tolerated. There should be more respect for on ice officials even if we agree they are not the best we think they should be.
I also agree that they both should be suspended and should be ordered to take anger management courses.
After reading the article, suspending an official for defending himself, albeit with aggressive force, for life for doing a thankless job is going too far. These were adult and kid. The kid should have some respect and the adult should know better than to hit a kid. It would be nice if there was a video of the incident to confirm the actions of all concerned.
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That little **** is extremely lucky to have not been charged for uttering a death threat. He needs to have his ass stapled to the wall with an attitude like that.
As for the linesman, I figure he should get whatever training is deemed lacking with regards to self-defense when a player attacks him, if it`s not already provided, and there`s no need for his suspension.
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No, I agree with Wex on this. The linesman CANNOT come back, for the reasons Wex mentioned. Not saying it would happen again, but if it did the legal and PR nightmare to follow would close their doors.
As for the kid, if it were my kid he'd be lucky if the linesman fighting back was all he got. I'd be taking him to the woodshed myself, and he'd be made to apologize publicly and admit his wrongdoing. He also would never again play another game of competitive hockey.
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