Arber Xhekaj under fire for punching a referee and could face a suspension
Tonight Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj is once again facing scrutiny for crossing the line as he has punched an NHL referee during a fight.
Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens is known for being a player who rides the line of what is allowed within the NHL rules.
In many cases, in his young career, Arber Xhekaj has found himself kicked out of games or suspended for physical acts that were horrific.
Tonight was another one of those cases during a rivalry game against the Boston Bruins.
During the game, Lane Hutson and Mark Kastelic collided causing a scrum in which Arber Xhekaj lit up Bruins forward Charlie Coyle.
After driving Charlie Coyle into the ground Arber Xhekaj was challenged by Mark Kastelic to a fight.
The two would begin shoving as referees tried to step in to break things up but as they did Arber Xhekaj fought back striking one of the referees in the head.
Here is the link to the video.
As a result of the fight overall Arber Xhekaj and Mark Kastelic both received 10-minute misconducts but were not ejected from the game.
Despite not being ejected striking a referee is generally considered an automatic suspension for an NHL player.
With Arber Xhekaj's history of being an aggressive player who frequently pushes past what is allowed it would not be surprising to see the NHL lay the hammer down on him.
The case will now head to the NHL Department of Player Safety who will have to determine Arber Xhekaj's intent and if his actions deserve a suspension.
As more information comes out regarding this situation and Arber Xhekaj's potential suspension we will pass along the latest news to you.
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