RIVIERE-DU-LOUP, Que. — A teenage hockey player from Quebec has been suspended for the rest of the season after using his stick to attack a referee in the neck area.
The incident occurred Nov. 23 in Riviere-du-Loup, northeast of Quebec City.
A disciplinary committee met with the teenager this week and handed down the suspension immediately.
"For us it's obviously a severe sanction but there have been precedents," Eric Turcotte, director of operations at Hockey Quebec-Chaudiere-Appalaches, said in an interview.
"The important thing is we don't have an incident in the future that is more serious and that leads to serious injury.
''Hockey is a game and, although it's an isolated incident, we want the sentence to be exemplary enough to serve as a deterrent to other young players."
The boy attacked the referee after the official had given him a 10-minute penalty.
He later visited the referee in hospital to apologize.
The teen had not played since because he was serving a suspension of several games.
