A stomp to the leg has Team Canada and Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno suspended for five games. The incident will have him miss the rest of the 2023 IIHF World Championships. News of the suspension was handed down on Sunday afternoon.
Joe Veleno Suspended For Rest of IIHF Worlds
Veleno was suspended for stomping at or near the leg of Switzerland and Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter. The incident happened during the second period of Saturday’s game, which the Swiss won 3-2. Veleno wasn’t penalized, but Niederreiter was give a penalty for shoving the 23-year-old to the ice.
“I have been notified of the five-game suspension imposed by the IIHF for my actions in our game against Switzerland,” Veleno said in a statement. “I accept the sanctions from the IIHF and apologize for my actions.”
The Montreal native was the second-leading scorer for the Canadians during the tournament with two goals and three assists. He netted nine goals and 20 points in 81 games with the Red Wings this season. However, he’d been playing well in the international tournament. It’s the second international suspension for Veleno. He was suspended in 2019 for headbutting a Russian player.
What Joe Veleno Being Suspended Means
Detroit’s young forward will miss out on getting more international seasoning for the tournament. He was taking to playing with some talented players. Calgary Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar was leading the team in points with eight for the tournament.
Veleno has been up-and-down during the season with the Red Wings. However, he played in the most amount of games with 81 and nine goals for his team. One also worries if Veleno is getting an international reputation for another suspension. It’s the second time that young forward has ran afoul of the IIHF. Let’s hope Veleno can learn from this incident. However, he’ll be gone for the rest of the tournament.
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