The BCHL has suspended one of its star players for the remainder of the season, for slashing a referee with his stick. Sending a message that certain kinds of violence just aren’t tolerated in hockey.
In a game against the Coquitlam Express last week, Trail Smoke Eaters’ top scorer Charlie Zuccarini bumped into a referee. Zuccarini then slashed the referee across the arm hard enough that the referee was taken to hospital for an x-ray.
Zuccarini was the Trail Smoke Eaters leading scorer and has an NCAA D-1 scholarship in the with Arizona State University.
BCHL Commissioner John Grisdale said that after video review of the game, and the incident, that the league decided to suspend Zuccarini for the rest of the season.
In a statement issued by the Smoke Eaters’, coach Nick Deschenes said they agreed with the suspension.
“It is a big blow to our organization to lose a player like Charlie for the remainder of the season. I can’t comment on the severity of the suspension, only to say that any physical abuse of officials in the BCHL is not tolerated,” said Deschenes.
“Hockey is a fast and intense game and in the heat of the moment players do things they regret. I believe this is one of those situations.”
