Pierre Crinon has been banned for the rest of the Winter Olympics by the French hockey federation following his fight with Canada’s Tom Wilson
The French ice hockey federation has handed Pierre Crinon a ban for the remainder of the Winter Olympics after his clash with Team Canada’s Tom Wilson during Sunday’s 10-2 loss. Canada thrashed France on Sunday, but Crinon and Wilson were involved in an unusual fight, the first at an Olympics since 1998.
Before this incident, Crinon had struck Team Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon with a forearm and was then confronted by Wilson. Both players were instantly ejected, as, unlike in the NHL, fighting is prohibited at the Olympics.
Neither Crinon nor Wilson received further punishment after Olympic officials chose not to suspend either player, but France has now acted. On Monday, the FFHG released a statement confirming an internal ruling made following a comprehensive examination of Sunday’s events.
They said: “Following the France-Canada game and the attitude of player Pierre Crinon, on and off the ice, Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, president of the FFHG 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.
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“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.
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“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 behaviour 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).”
France face Germany in a vital qualifier on Tuesday morning, with the winners advancing to face Slovakia in the quarter-finals. The defeated team will be eliminated from the tournament.
Germany are considered favourites, but France have complicated matters for their remaining players following Crinon’s suspension. France are still searching for their first Olympic win, having lost all three preliminary matches.
France suffered a 4-0 defeat to Switzerland, followed by a challenging 6-3 loss against the Czech Republic. They then conceded 10 goals to Team Canada.
However, Team Germany hasn’t lived up to fans’ expectations. The Germans secured a 3-1 victory over Denmark, but then experienced an unexpected 4-3 defeat to Latvia. Team USA then triumphed over Germany with a 5-1 scoreline.
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