Team Canada and Red Wings forward Joe Veleno has been suspended five games in the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship for violating IIHF rules on kicking. Here’s what you need to know:
- Veleno stomped on the leg of Swiss captain Nino Niederreiter with his skate in the second period of Saturday’s round-robin loss against Switzerland.
- Officials did not call a flagrant on Veleno but later issued a two-minute minor penalty to Niederreiter for retaliating against Veleno.
- The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Disciplinary Panel announced Veleno would miss Canada’s upcoming five games beginning with the contest against Norway on Monday.
Suspension Announcement: @HockeyCanada‘s Joe Veleno has been issued a 5-game suspension for violating Official Playing Rule 49 (Kicking).
Read more: https://t.co/Ho102mtoq0 pic.twitter.com/WjaKqQQxZJ
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 21, 2023
Backstory
Veleno, 23, violated the section of IIHF’s rules that describes kicking as “the action of a Player deliberately using their skate(s) with a kicking motion to propel the puck or to make contact with an opponent.”
Veleno hasn’t been suspended during his NHL career but was suspended one game during the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for head butting.
Niederreiter told reporters postgame Saturday that Veleno’s move “does not belong in our sport” and called it dangerous.
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(Photo: Gints Ivuskans / AFP via Getty Images)
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