Player Punches Linesman in the Face and Gets Taunted by Opponent

There's so much happening in this short video it's hard to know where to start. A player with Ambri-Piotta of the National League in Switzerland is facing a long suspension after an incident where he punched an official in the face. After it happened, the player he was jawing with at the time started laughing at him.

Tobias Forhler of Germany has been playing in Swtizerland for the past few years. In this sequence, he's getting into it with Eric Gélinas of HC Ajoie when a linesman gets in between them to try and calm things down. Forhler then proceeds to punch the linesman in the face, and it looked to be 100 percent intentional. That jab was meant for no one else other than the linesman. The official immediately gives Forhler a look that says "I can't believe you just did that," while a nearby referee tells Forhler he's done for the game. That brings laughter and pointing from Gelinas.


Gelinas is a former draft pick of New Jersey, and played close to 200 games in the NHL with the Devils and the Colorado Avalanche. No word yet on Forhler's suspension, but I can't imagine it will be light. It may not have been a hard punch but, again, it was definitely meant for the official.