Antoine Vermette gets ejected for swatting at ref with stick

Antoine Vermette swatted his stick at a ref and was ejected from a game against the Minnesota Wild for what was deemed an ‘abuse of official.’

A very weird scene went down in the Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild game. In the second period, with the Ducks leading 1-0, Antoine Vermette lined up for a routine face-off.

He lost the draw, which is normal, but he appeared to take exception to it. So much so that he swung his stick at the linesman, which earned him a game misconduct.

Watch the whole incident play out here:

It may have just been a love tap, but you can’t hit an official like that — especially over a matter as trivial as losing a face-off. Abuse of official results in an automatic suspension, although the length varies a great deal depending on the infraction. NBC Sports has the three categories listed here.

Category 1 entails a 20-game suspension for anyone who deliberately applies physical force to an official with the intent to injure. That’s what Dennis Wideman initially received when he infamously went after Don Henderson in a game last year. Meanwhile, Category 3 is a three-game suspension for someone who throws a stick or shoots a puck at an official. Arizona Coyotes forward Anthony DeAngelo was already assessed this when he argued with a ref following a fight.

What Vermette did falls closer to Category 2, which is a 10-game suspension. He deliberately applied physical force to an official but didn’t attempt to injure him. Ten games may seem harsh for what was ultimately a harmless act, but rules are rules, and what he did was incredibly stupid.

Next: How many games should Gustav Nyquist be suspended for high stick?

The Ducks ultimately got the last laugh when the 1-0 score held up as the final. But losing a key contributor like Vermette will hurt Anaheim’s quest to try and win the Pacific Division.