Sorta-Bad Hockey Man Ejected For Weakly Slashing Ref

You can’t hit an official, even if it’s a love tap.

Antoine Vermette of the Anaheim Ducks was ejected from Tuesday night’s game against the Minnesota Wild for gently whacking a linesman with his stick after a faceoff in the third period. The best view in the video below is at the 1:50 mark.

Everyone seemed confused, including the Anaheim Ducks social media team.

According to the NHL rulebook, Vermette could be suspended as well.

For a sport that sanctions bloody fist fights, a suspension for this half-hearted blow would seems excessive, but rules are rules, and something possessed Vermette to take a swing at the ref.