A strange incident, and one that could have ended much differently, in the Champions Hockey League earlier this week. EV Zug of Switzerland was facing Finnish club Tampere, when forward Lino Martschini kicked Tampere defender Ben Blood in the face with his skate.
For his actions, EV Zug's Martschini has received a fine of 600 Euros, about $700 U.S. dollars. This seems really low, but the Disciplinary Commission of the CHL said it does not consider Martschini's actions to have been intentional, but rather a reaction or a protective measure after getting tangled up with Blood and his stick while being knocked to the ice.
Obviously, kicking someone in the face with your skate is frowned upon in any league, but it's difficult to punish someone severely for something that wasn't intentional. You can be the judge by reviewing the video below. Given how close Martschini's skate blake is to Blood's eye, the blueliner is extremely lucky this situation didn't end in a severe injury.
