“That is beyond dirty,” Joe Veleno SUSPENDED from World Championship following stomping incident against Nino Niederreiter

NHL experienced a chill down the spine when Canada’s Joe Veleno was caught stomping on Switzerland’s Nino Niederreiter with his skating blades.

“That is beyond dirty,” Joe Veleno SUSPENDED from World Championship following stomping incident against Nino Niederreiter

Nino Niederreiter and Joe Veleno [Image Credit: Lighthouse Hockey/NHL]

On Saturday, the NHL world got shivers down as they witnessed Canada’s Joe Veleno stomping on his opponent Nino Niederreiter with his skating blades. The horrifying incident gave rise to the question of player safety, forcing the IIHF to suspend the Detroit Red Wings forward for 5 games.

During the game itself, no calls were made against Veleno’s actions. The incident fired up not only the fans, but also NHL players, reporters, and members themselves. This’ll be the 2nd time Canada lost Veleno to suspension. Back in 2019, IIHF suspended the player for headbutting his opponent on Team Russia causing “the helmet to be lifted” of the victim.

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The incident took place during the 2nd period of Canada’s loss against Switzerland. The players were in an intense puck-possession fight when Veleno tried stomping on Niederreiter’s leg with his skate. Thankfully, the veteran forward was not hurt, otherwise, there would’ve been serious consequences for the 23-year-old’s action.

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Related: “Disgusting play to watch,” Evander Kane FUMES as Joe Veleno’s horrifying hit to Nino Niederreiter frightens NHL fans, Twitter reacts

Nino Niederreiter calls out Joe Veleno as Canadian player stomps on veteran during game

Joe Veleno stomps on Nino Niederreiter [Image Credit: TSN]
Joe Veleno stomps on Nino Niederreiter [Image Credit: TSN]

Nino Niederreiter called on the player and the IIHF for not taking action immediately on-ice. He stated that “it’s too dangerous” of an attempt as skate blades are “extremely sharp”. If he got hurt, it could’ve left permanent damage in the worst-case scenario.

Moreover, the Winnipeg Jets forward stated that he’s curious to know what step the IIHF would take, hoping “they do better job” at maintaining player safety. It was not only Niederreiter who called out Joe Veleno. Apart from fans, Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane called the play “disgusting” and “embarrassing” to watch.

Kane himself, was a victim to a cut-by-skate incident, although it was purely an accident. Back in 2022, Pat Maroon accidentally skated through Kane’s wrist, injuring the player gravely. Kane immediately left the ice in a bloodied state, undergoing wrist surgery later on. 

Maroon too apologized for the incident in Kane’s next on-ice appearance. During the recent World Championship game replay, a reporter called out on Veleno noting, “That is beyond dirty. That is egregiously awful when you know exactly what you’re doing.”

Team Canada accepted IIHF’s ruling as well as Veleno who stated, “I accept the sanctions from the IIHF and apologize for my actions”. While some fans called him out, asking the higher body to ban the player for life, no such ruling has been made.

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