It was a disturbing act when Italian player Nicholas Pezzetta swung his stick and connected with a referee during a game and now has faced some serious punishment.
In an Italy 2 league game between Brixen/Bressanone and Eppan/Appiano, a shocking incident occurred towards the end of the second period. After a faceoff, Brixen/Bressanone forward Nicholas Pezzetta viciously swung his stick his stick toward the referee and struck the official who immediately dropped to the ice in immense pain.
It was disturbing, to say the least, and completely uncalled for regardless of external circumstances. Thankfully, the Italy 2 League’s management and officials wasted no time in issuing a severe punishment for Pezzetta’s abhorrent actions.
Per Hockey Worldwide on IG:
“The Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali suspended HC Falcons Brixen/Bressanone captain Nicholas Pezzetta for 13 months after he hit a referee with his stick, «with the intent of injuring him», in an Italian Hockey League match.
It was a frightening scene as the referee was not only blindsided, but the use of a stick is frankly, grounds for assault. It would not surprise me if the referee who was injured ended up filing a lawsuit against Pezzetta for assault, and there could be possible legal consequences for Pezzetta in the future if it goes down that route.
It is extremely reminiscent of the actions of Marty McSorley, who swung his stick like a baseball bat toward the head of Donald Brashear and connected, giving Brashear a Grade III concussion and leaving him knocked out on the ice. He was suspended for the season and charged with assault, leading him to have an 18-month probation sentence. The precedent is there, so if the Italian courts wanted to enact some severe punishment on Pezzetta, they could look to history to help make their decision.
It was a disgusting act that should never be condoned by anyone, and Pezzetta’s teammates and coaches should speak up against his actions and single him out as the bad apple of the team, as this wasn’t hockey; it was assault.
