Ref suspended 2 years for fighting with player

A hockey linesman who got into a fight with a player during a game on Sunday has been suspended from the Greater Toronto Hockey League for two years.

The official was breaking up a scrap between a member of the minor midget AA Mississauga North Stars and the Humber Valley Sharks at Central Arena but got into the scuffle himself, says GTHL president John Gardner.

"What we can ascertain is the one player was the aggressor in shoving and swinging, and instead of trying to control the situation, the official decided to get into a, I'll use the word, mini-combat," Gardner said.

The other linesman and referee eventually broke up the fight.

"They were down at the other end of the ice, so you could say it certainly went on for a minute," Gardner said. "Put it this way, it wasn't a two-second situation."

The president says the league has never had to handle an incident like this before.

"It's a unique situation I guess is the best way to describe it, only because we've never had a situation where a player gets into, I'll call it a minor slug fest, with an official," Gardner said. "Both parties are to blame, I guess, I don't know exactly … what started it. It's an unusual situation."

The player got a match penalty for physical aggression toward an official, which comes with a minimum six-game suspension. Gardner says they're waiting for reports to determine if any further action will be taken.

The official, a first-year ref with the GTHL whom Gardner described as "an older gentleman," is barred from refereeing at any Hockey Canada games for two years.

He'll never be back in the stripes in the Toronto league, either.

"We made it quite clear that he's not welcome back in the GTHL," Gardner said.