French ice hockey player banned from rest of Olympics after brutal scrap during game
The French ice hockey player involved in a chaotic brawl during an Olympic match has been suspended for the rest of the games.
Milan's winter games has produced its fair share of drama over the past couple of weeks, with allegations of cheating derailing a curling game between Canada and Sweden while Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid publicly confessed to cheating on his girlfriend during a victory interview.
Add in Lindsey Vonn's horrifying skiing injury and the fact that athletes have reportedly torn through the thousands of free condoms in days and what can I say, it's been another eventful Olympics.
The drama doesn't end there either, as French ice hockey player Pierre Crinon has been banned from the rest of the Winter Games after getting into a scrap with Canada's Tom Wilson.
Advert
The incident occurred during a match on Sunday night (15 February), where Canada thrashed the French side 10-2.
However with just seven minutes left on the clock Crinon and Wilson found themselves making headlines for a completely different reason.
The incident occurred after Crinon had crashed into Wilson's teammate Nathan MacKinnon and struck him in the face with his forearm. Crinon received a two-minute penalty for his actions, allowing Canada to extend their lead, however this wasn't enough to calm a riled up Wilson.
The 31-year-old then confronted the Frenchman at one end of the rink, with the pair swiftly dropping their hockey sticks and coming to blows.
Watch the chaotic moment below:
Unlike games played in the National Hockey League, where physical altercations are a five-minute penalty, fighting is considered a major misconduct under International Ice Hockey Federation rules.
Both Wilson and Crinon were ultimately ejected from the match, with the IIHF declining to punish the men further.
While Wilson will be able to complete again for Canada, the French Ice Hockey Federation has now confirmed that Crinon has been suspended from competing in any further games.
"Following the France-Canada game and the attitude of player Pierre Crinon, on and off the ice, Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, president of the FFHG and deputy head of mission of the French delegation, heard the player in an interview in the presence of Fabien Saguez, head of mission of the Olympic delegation, the national technical director of the FFHG, and the staff of the French Team," the statement read.
"This interview also aimed to remind the player of the personal commitments he made as part of his selection for the French Olympic Team."
Confirming the decision to take further disciplinary action, the statement continued: "Nevertheless, the FFHG intends to remind everyone of the values of every player wearing the French national team jersey, as well as their duty to set an example, particularly during the Olympic Games.
"Therefore, Pierre Crinon's provocative behaviour upon leaving the ice, even though he had just been ejected from the game for fighting, constitutes a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.
"Consequently, a decision has been made, in full agreement with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to allow his participation in the upcoming Olympic tournament game(s)."
Meanwhile Wilson has not been suspended for his part in the brawl, with the rest of his team appearing to be in support of the right winger.
"We’re used to a lot more than that happening, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things," Canada coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the game.
"Sticking up for his teammates, that’s an easy one for him."
Topics: Winter Olympics, Olympics, Sport
Brenna Cooper