Posted on 12/08/2005 10:57:55 AM PST by Mikey_1962
An Ottawa-area hockey dad has been banned from minor hockey arenas for five years after pleading guilty Wednesday to assaulting a referee at his son's hockey game last December.
Stewart Ferguson, 33, of Pakenham, was also sentenced to 18 months probation and ordered to pay $500 to the victim, plus donate $500 towards the development of minor hockey referees.
Ferguson was accused of shoving referee Mike McKeough into a door frame after his son was thrown out of the game. McKeough suffered a head injury and required seven stitches.
The Ontario court judge in the case said the sentence was meant to send a message to all parents about unacceptable behaviour at hockey games. McKeough was a spectator at the game and tried to intervene after Ferguson got into an altercation with a couple of his friends, who were the referees.
"He [Ferguson] continued shouting and making threats, at which point he said he was going to put my head through the wall," said McKeough.
"I said, 'Yeah, whatever buddy,' and proceeded through the door...I was grabbed from behind and pushed into the door frame," he said.
McKeough said he wasn't sure the sentence was strong enough to deter future incidents of violence.
Dave McCarthy, the chief referee in Carleton district, estimated that about 40 per cent of hockey officials leave the job every year mainly because of the abuse they receive from parents and coaches.
Although the Canadian teams did REALLY ENJOY beating our American asses when we played them.
This guy is the exception that proves the rule.
I don't think it's practical for a hockey ref to be packin' [smirk].
1. The dad is 33, which makes his kid maybe 10 at the oldest.
2. The kid got tossed from the game -- fruit falling not far from the tree?
3. What does it take for a kid to get tossed out of a hockey game? Sheesh....
At least he didn't beat him to death like that fellow in Massachusetts a couple of years ago.
I'm sure his kid said: "Way to go, Dad."
I'll bet he's embarrassed to show his face at school.
One night I went to the fights and a hockey game broke out.
hockey..a game where people smash into each other while chasing something no one can see which is called a "puck"...
if you're watching on TV, you need HI-DEF. it makes a world of difference.
There was some clown in Lowell Mass last year who beat his sons hockey coach to death because the coach didn't play his son enough (in his opinion)
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