The French Olympic hockey team is banning one of its own players from taking the ice for the rest of the games in Milan after he was involved in the first fight of this year’s tournament.
Late in the third period, down 10-2 to Canada, France defenseman Pierre Crinon delivered an elbow to the face of Canadian star Nathan MacKinnon.
Moments later, Team Canada star Tom Wilson delivered a hit into the boards on Crinon and the two then dropped the glove and began exchanging punches.
Even though fighting in Olympic hockey results in an automatic ejection, Wilson is an enforcer and was more than willing to shed his mitts and throw some knuckles.
But after the fight ended – with the larger Crinon winning the fight – the Frenchmen then was seen egging on the pro-Canada crowd as he was led back to the locker room.
In a statement released by Hockey France, the federation announced that Crinon will not suit up for Les Blues again at this tournament – including in their upcoming game against Germany.
The French hockey federation has banned its own player, Pierre Crinon (R) for his actions during and after the first fight of the Milan Winter Olympics on Sunday evening
Crinon got into a fight with Canada’s Tom Wilson and both players were automatically ejected
‘Following the France-Canada game and the attitude of player Pierre Crinon, on and off the ice, Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, president of the FFHG [French hockey federation] and deputy head of mission of the French delegation, heard the player in an interview in the presence of Fabien Saguez, head of mission of the Olympic delegation, the national technical director of the FFHG and the staff of the French Team,’ read a statement in French from the federation.
‘This interview also aimed to remind the player of the personal commitments he made as part of his selection for the French Olympic Team.
‘Regarding the match penalty for which he was sanctioned, the federation acknowledges the decision of the international federation – the body competent to rule on breaches of the rules of the game during the Olympic Games – not to take any further action against the players concerned.
‘Nevertheless, the FFHG intends to remind everyone of the values of every player wearing the French national team jersey, as well as their duty to set an example, particularly during the Olympic Games.
‘Therefore, Pierre Crinon’s provocative behavior upon leaving the ice, even though he had just been ejected from the game for fighting, constitutes a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport. Consequently, a decision has been made, in full agreement with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to allow his participation in the upcoming Olympic tournament game(s).’
On his way off the ice, Crinon was seen taunting the majority Canadian crowd
Fans in the United States didn’t get to watch the fight happen because the streaming service Peacock interrupted the game with a commercial break while it was taking place.
An explanation for the error has not been provided publicly. NBC Sports did not provide comment after being contacted by the Daily Mail.
Across three games, Crinon – who plays for French hockey team Brûleurs de Loups in the Alps city of Grenoble – tallied one assist and 33 penalty minutes.
The winner of Germany-France takes on Slovakia in the quarterfinals.