Canada is no stranger to hockey fights. It’s hard to forget the 4 Nations final between the United States and Canada last year that saw gloves drop three times in nine seconds. For France, however, it simply isn’t sporting.
The France hockey team has suspended blueliner Pierre Crinon for the rest of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina after he got into a fight with Canada’s Tom Wilson following a questionable hit on Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon. Crinon grappled Wilson before skating away and being shielded by officials, as fighting in the Olympic iteration of ice hockey is forbidden.
To exacerbate the issue, as Crinon went to the locker room, fans in the stands recorded him waving his arms to the crowd, which was largely in favor of Canada. He also cupped his hands to his ears in a “let me hear you” type of motion. This provoking behavior got Crinon suspended for the rest of the Games, according to the French Ice Hockey Federation.
In a statement on its website, the federation wrote (translated to English):
“Pierre Crinon’s provocative behavior when he came out of the ice, even though he had just been excluded from the match for a fight, is a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport. A decision was therefore made, in full alignment with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to authorize his participation for the next meeting(s) of the Olympic tournament.”
France is 0-0-3 in these Olympics and has a match against Germany at 3:10 p.m. ET Tuesday, Feb. 17. It has a goal differential of -15, exacerbated by a 10-2 drubbing at the hands of Canada in the game that saw Crinon and Wilson fight.
Though not mentioned in the statement announcing his suspension, Crinon has a checkered past that may have given him less leeway in the decision.
He was suspended for seven games in France with Ligue Magnus’ Bruleurs de Loups Grenoble when he punched a maskless goalie several times, injuring the goalie’s eye. Crinon also had a whopping 95 penalty minutes in 36 games with Ligue Magnus in 2023-24, second in the league. Crinon this season has 66 penalty minutes, tied for third.
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