Minor League Hockey Player Mocks Referees By Pretending To Be Blind

A basic rule of sports is that you don’t directly mock the referees, even if you don’t agree with their calls. One minor league hockey player forgot about that rule during his game.

During an ECHL matchup between the Wheeling Nailers and the Reading Royals on Saturday, two players got into a fight. Royals forward Steven Leonard dropped his gloves and engaged Nailers forward Peter Laviolette III (who’s the son of the New York Rangers coach). After the fight, both players got ejected.

You’d think that getting sent off would be the end of the drama. But Laviolette made sure to get one last lick at the officiating crew on his way off the ice.

As one of the linesmen escorted the forward off the ice, Laviolette pretended to be a blind man with a walking stick. This, of course, was not a goal celebration with poor taste. It was a direct shot at the officiating crew for that game.

The clip is only just now going viral despite the fact that it occurred a week ago.

First, I don’t think you should pretend to be a disabled person in that context. Using someone else’s hardship is not the best move.

Second, it didn’t make a ton of sense to get mad at the referees at this point in the game. Wheeling already had a 3-0 lead with about 11 minutes to go in the game when the fight occurred. Even if the refs had a bad night with calls, it clearly didn’t affect the Nailers all that much. Plus, Laviolette willingly engaged in the fight, so he had no argument to remain in the game.

That’s probably why several people on X blasted Laviolette for his actions, even saying that his actions reflect the reputation of his father (even though the elder Laviollette has a good reputation).

The Nailers forward might want to learn a better way to express his frustration. As a minor leaguer, it could have huge implications on how professional teams view him.