Former National Hockey League (NHL) forward Nick Ritchie violently attacked an opponent in a Liiga game in Finland.
The man who last wore the colors of Karpat Oulu was expelled from Thursday's game against TPS Turku for hitting defender Markus Nurmi.
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The two players fought for the puck in the corner and the 28-year-old Ontario native completely lost control. He grabbed his rival by the neck and pinned him to the icy surface. He then gave him a series of blows. Nurmi couldn't defend himself and it was ultimately a linesman who stopped this “massacre”.
Ritchie joined Karpat at the end of November. The first-round pick (10th overall) of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 draft had a professional tryout with the St. Louis Blues in the fall, but was unable to convince the staff that he deserved a contract.
The Orangeville native played 481 games on the Bettman circuit, playing for the Ducks, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames. Ritchie scored 84 times and had 102 assists for 186 points in the NHL.
In Finland he scored one goal and four assists in 10 games. He also received a 70-minute penalty…