NHL Player May Face Discipline for Slashing Referee With Stick
Mason Marchment is fortunate to have escaped an immediate ejection after an incident in which he appeared to slash a game official with his stick during the second period of the Dallas Stars’ playoff game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
The sequence began when Marchment was tripped by a Jets defenseman while attempting to score, but no penalty was called on the play. Frustrated, Marchment was seen tapping referee Graham Skilliter’s shins with his stick as he skated back to the bench.
While the action wasn’t overtly violent, it still constitutes a clear breach of the NHL’s rules against abusing officials and will likely be reviewed by the league, potentially leading to disciplinary action for the Stars forward.
According to NHL regulations, any contact with an official is strictly prohibited and can result in a major penalty or even an ejection. However, Marchment was not penalized by Skilliter at the time of the incident. The 29-year-old reportedly approached the officiating crew at the start of the third period to offer an apology, as reported by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
Marchment returned to the bench and took his first shift of the third period, suggesting he avoided any immediate consequences for slashing the official.
Mason Marchment just tapped an official (Graham Skilliter) on the shin pad because he was upset with a non-call.
You definitely can’t do that and I imagine some sort of discipline is coming. pic.twitter.com/fVchFshpJg
— Jesse Blake (@JesseBlake) May 11, 2025
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