A 20-year-old junior hockey player was banned from his league for life this week after he sucker-punched a referee following an altercation on the ice.
Paul Halloran, a former player for the South Shore Kings of the United States Premier Hockey League, earned his lifetime ban after he laid out the referee during a Sunday game against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights.
Late in the first period, Halloran was sent to the penalty box after colliding with the official in front of the team benches.
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The 20-year-old clearly did not agree with the call.
Safe to say, I don’t think he liked what the ref said to him ?♂️ pic.twitter.com/zJUe61SMUT
— Justin (McLovin) (@tarpsoffmclovin) February 20, 2022
After appearing to have a verbal exchange with the officials, Halloran skated over to the referee that made the call and dropped him with a right-handed punch, according to footage of the incident posted to social media.
The official quickly rose to his feet and, seemingly perplexed, raised his hands.
The USPHL took immediate action and banned the young player.
“The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official, at any time,” USPHL Commissioner Bob Turow said in a statement.
“The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban. The incident is currently being investigated by local authorities, and as such, the USPHL will have no further comments at this time,” he said.
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The referee did not suffer any serious injuries, according to a report.
