iStockphoto
It’s obviously not rare for tempers to flare over the course of a hockey game, but one minor league player in Canada has landed in hot water for choking an opposing goalie to the point of unconsciousness during a scrap.
There are plenty of people who argue fighting no longer has a place in hockey, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest the majority of fans appreciate the fact that players have the option to police the game by taking matters into their own hands when they feel like the situation calls for it.
The sport has evolved to a point where enforcers are a dying breed and it’s pretty rare to see guys dole out any serious damage during a fracas, but that certainly wasn’t the case when the Richmond Sockeyes and the North Vancouver Wolf Pack of the Pacific Junior Hockey League face off last Thursday.
The Sockeyes had a commanding 5-1 lead with around six minutes to go in the third period when a scrum broke out near one of the nets.
While the refs did what they could to restore order, the officials somehow failed to intervene when Sockeyes defenseman Eithan Grishin put Wolf Pack goalie Evan Paul into a guillotine choke for more than 20 seconds before the unconscious netminder collapsed to the ice after finally being released.
@ThePJHL @RSockeyes player Eithan Grishin chokes a goalie unconscious, holding a guillotine choke longer than you’ll ever see in a sanctioned UFC fight 😳 no statement from the league or team, only from @NVanWolfPack stating the goalie is recovering at home. pic.twitter.com/5lEBaqwgyZ
— Jason (@jjjvancity) January 29, 2024
The Wolf Pack released a statement stating Paul was listed as day-to-day while recovering from what they described as a “severe injury,” and the timeline for his return is still up in the air.
Six players (including Paul) received penalties for their role in the scrap, and Grishin was sent to the locker room for the remainder of the contest after getting hit with a five-minute major and a game misconduct for what was officially designated as a “blow to the head” (he also received two minutes for slashing).
According to The Province, the PJHL has hit Grishin with his third suspension of the season and will announce the official length of his forced hiatus after convening for a meeting about the incident this week.