B.C. hockey player’s suspension upheld after on-ice fight

Posted March 19, 2024 3:14 pm.
Last Updated March 19, 2024 4:05 pm.
A Richmond Sockeyes player has been suspended by the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) for 31 games after a violent on-ice incident earlier this year.
Eithan Grishin is being disciplined after a full review was launched following a fight during the third period of a game against the North Vancouver Wolf Pack on Jan. 25.
The fight, which started as any old hockey scrum, reached a tipping point when the 19-year-old Sockeyes forward appeared to put Wolf Pack goaltender Evan Paul in a headlock.
Some reported the netminder was choked unconscious, with online video showing Paul laying on the ice motionless for more than a few seconds.
In a statement Tuesday, the PJHL said Grishin was handed a 31-game suspension, which he started serving on Jan. 29.
The league notes the initial decision was appealed. That appeal was reviewed by the commissioner, as was the “decision in its entirety,” with the PJHL saying the suspension was upheld by the Department of Player Safety.
In a statement to CityNews in January, Sockeyes President Doug Paterson said Grishin had been suspended indefinitely until a league hearing.
This marked Grishin’s third suspension this season.
In the days following the incident, Paul was said to have been doing okay and was recovering at home,.
The North Vancouver Wolf Pack said in a social media post on Jan. 27 that the goalie had to leave the game “due to a severe injury.” The team added the player’s injury status was “day-to-day.”
–With files from Michael Williams