‘Could it be his last game? Yeah’: B.C. hockey player suspended indefinitely after fight
Posted January 30, 2024 4:01 pm.
Last Updated January 30, 2024 4:02 pm.
A 19-year-old junior hockey player in Richmond has been suspended from playing in the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) after a violent incident broke out during a game last week.
It happened in the third period of a game between the North Vancouver Wolf Pack and Richmond Sockeyes at Minoru Arena on Thursday night.
The whole incident, which started as any old hockey scrum, reached a tipping point when Sockeyes forward Eithan Grishin appeared to put Wolf Pack goaltender Evan Paul in a headlock, with some reporting the netminder was choked unconscious.
Online video shows the goalie laying on the ice motionless for more than a few seconds.
“We sensed it was going to boil over … you knew something was going to take place,” said Richmond Sockeyes play-by-play commentator Steve Erickson.
In a statement to CityNews, Sockeyes President Doug Paterson says Grishin has been suspended indefinitely until a league hearing, which will apparently be some time soon.
This now marks Grishin’s third suspension this season. He has missed a total of 16 games due to discipline so far.
“It’s a heated game, this happens in a heartbeat. And, sometimes you end up paying the price down the road,” Erickson said.
“Could this be his last game? Yeah,” he added while talking about the 19-year-old defenceman’s future in the league.
Erickson contends that the situation could have been prevented, emphasizing that the game, typically officiated by four referees, was played with only three last week.
“I’m not putting the blame on the league or anybody else, it’s just the way the assigning goes. Could North Van have done something to prevent this? Yeah, they really could have. The coaching staff controls the players,” he said.
“It’s sad the way it happened, you never like to see that happen in any game.”
CityNews reached out to PJHL commissioner Trevor Alto, who was not available for comment on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old netminder is said to be okay and recovering at home, according to a social media post on X by the North Van Wolf Pack on Saturday.
“Wolf Pack goaltender Evan Paul was required to leave Thursday’s game against Richmond due to a severe injury suffered near the end of the game,” the statement reads.
“Paul is recovering at home, and his injury status is day-to-day. The Wolf Pack would like to thank all the people in the PJHL and the hockey community who have reached out tot he team with their support and have checked on Evan after this horrible incident.”
