On many occasions, fans have witnessed a referee accidentally come into contact between two players or be hit by a puck during a hockey game, with accidents regularly occurring on the ice.
However, the situation was very different when Vita Hästen player Casper Gillberg intentionally blocked a referee during a recent Swedish third division match.
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Result? The officer had to be taken to hospital with a broken arm.
After the meeting, the defense attorney claimed that the contact was accidental. However, he did not forget to mention in the same breath that the referee was an obstacle throughout the evening.
“It’s the series finale and everyone is excited to be here, especially me,” he said. I like to play physically. As was the case throughout the confrontation, the referee was in the way. I had to stop their player and the official was there. He received the check even though that was obviously not my intention.”
However, the league – Hockeyettan – does not seem convinced by the 22-year-old’s explanations. According to the Swedish daily Corren, she suspended the 1.85 meter tall, 100 kilogram player indefinitely while she waited to make an official decision about him.