Former NHLer Given a Major Suspension for Hitting a Referee

Former NHL player Brendan Lemieux has just received a suspension for the next four games after he inexplicably hit a referee during his most recent game.

HC Davos left winger Brendan Lemieux was handed a four-game suspension by the Swiss League for punching linesman Dominik Altmann during a playoff game.

The fight broke out after Altmann tried to break up a fight between Lemieux and ZSC Lions' Chris Baltisberger, which was escalating. With his focus on Baltisberger, Lemieux punched Altmann in the jaw, which seemed to have been by mistake.

'It was just a scrum in front of the net. Unfortunately, the linesman's head came between us. I hit him - not hard, but hard enough,' Lemieux said, per Blick, via translation. 'Nobody wants to see that. The refs are just doing their job. It was just an unfortunate position, but sometimes it happens.'

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Initially suspended for a single game, the league changed that to four after watching the tapes. Altmann was substituted out of the game to receive treatment and replaced by stand-in referee Dominik Schlagel.

With the Davos-Zurich playoff series tied at 2 and with only three games remaining, Lemieux will miss the rest of the series. Any further suspension will be postponed to the second round in case Davos advances.

In addition to the suspension, Lemieux was also fined 6,500 Swiss Francs ($7,500 USD).

Lemieux, who played 307 NHL games for the Jets, Rangers, Kings, Flyers, and Hurricanes, is no stranger to controversy.

His NHL career card includes 36 goals, 38 assists, 548 penalty minutes, a previous fine, and three suspensions, including a five-game suspension for biting Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk.

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After leading the AHL's Chicago Wolves on a preseason tour at the start of the 2024-25 season, Lemieux signed with HC Davos.

In the regular season and playoffs combined, he has one assist, 36 penalty minutes, and now serves a four-game suspension in 18 games. He is still contracted for two more seasons.