Team Canada will have to play without its top scorer for the remainder of the World Cup. Joe Veleno has been banned from further matches by the disciplinary panel.

The 23-year-old Canadian was suspended for five games for a foul in Saturday’s game against Switzerland in Riga. In the fight for the puck on the board, Veleno jumped high over rival captain Nino Niederreiter’s leg with great force.

On the ice, the referees did not penalize him. Niederreiter was sent off for excessive sharpness in the game, and after this incident he got into a fight with his rival.

The five-game penalty means the Detroit Red Wings forward will miss the remainder of the championship, as Canada will only play that many games at most. Veleno will miss today’s game against Norway, tomorrow’s game against the Czech Republic, Thursday’s quarter-final, then maybe the semi-final and final or the third-place game if the Canadians also go. far in the tournament.

It’s a big loss for André Tourigny’s side, as Veleno is their most effective striker to date and the team’s second-highest scorer. In 5 games, he scored 5 “points” on 2 goals and 3 assists. Only defender MacKenzie Weegar scores better (8 points).

Niederreiter, who was attacked by Veleno, commented on the whole event just after the Swiss victory.

– He tried to hurt me. There’s no place for that in hockey. I have a big problem with this stuff and I really hope the IIHF does something about it said the Winnipeg Jets player. – It is, after all, a gentleman’s sport played hard but fair..

Outraged by Veleno’s behavior, he was m.in. also his compatriot, Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane, who is not competing in the World Cup. Kane has been out of the NHL for more than two months this season after undergoing surgery after Tampa Bay Lightning player Pat Maroon accidentally cut his hand on the ice with a skate.

– This is why hockey fights are necessary. They discourage such ideas and help to effectively maintain order in the game Kane tweeted regarding Veleno’s foul. – It’s disgusting to see this kind of behavior, especially after my injury this season. Embarrassing.