“Brendan is a player who stands out for his intensity, passion, and will to win,” Davos HC’s sports director Jan Alston said in December 2024. The then-NHL player had joined the Swiss National League after cutting short his one-year, $775,000 contract with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately, that ‘intensity’ became a double-edged sword for the player.

On paper, Brendan Lemieux brought a lot to the table, having played for the Canes, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers. Alston was quite excited about adding the 28-year-old to the roster. “With his player profile, he is the perfect addition to our team…” he said. Yet, after playing 18 matches for Davos, Lemieux earned a four-match suspension at a crucial moment. So, what happened?

Tensions were high with Davos HC taking on the ZSC Lions in the Swiss NL playoffs. Tempers flared during one of those games, and the former NHL star didn’t hesitate to throw hands. However, the relay trouble began when linesman Dominik Altmann tried to break the scuffle between Lemieux and Chris Baltisberger. That’s when the forward caught the ref with a punch.

A strike to the face sent Altmann to the ice and Lemieux back to the stands. The serious offense earned Lemieux a four-game suspension. Yet, despite the infraction, many hockey fans actually didn’t blame the 28-year-old. “He didn’t punch the linesman. That was incidental contact. One game at the most,” argued one fan who thought the penalty was too harsh.

The NHL alumnus agreed. Brendan Lemieux explained his version of the events to the media after the match. “It was just a scrum in front of the net. Unfortunately, the linesman’s head came between us,” he said as per Blick. “I hit him — not hard, but hard enough,” added Lemieux, indicating that the hit may not have been hard enough to floor the official. Tons of fans agreed with the former Canes players.

NHL fans called it as they saw it

Brendan Lemieux was never among the most popular players during his time in the National Hockey League. Many didn’t like the player for his aggressive plays. However, many fans agreed with the Davos HC player’s perspective. Some even went so far as to say the official went down a bit too easily. “The linesman needs to be fined for diving,” commented a netizen.

Others took similar jabs at the incident they saw as accidental. “Linesmen gets the Academy Award,” another netizen wrote in their sarcastic response. Unfortunately, that’s not how the Swiss League saw it. “The disciplinary department has inflicted a total of four games on Brendan Lemieux,” they said in an official announcement about the former NHL player.

The NL had slapped him with a one-match suspension before reviewing the footage and adding three more games. Ice hockey fans didn’t agree. “Weak call IMO,” said one of them. “Ref is right in the mix of things just asking to get winged,” the fan continued, saying the ref put himself in the line of fire and got tagged.

Even some NHL fans who didn’t like Brendan Lemieux sided with the hockey player. “Completely unintentional. I get he’s earned the reputation he’s got, and don’t feel bad for him personally,” commented a netizen. The reputation the fan talked about came from Brendan Lemieux’s conduct in the league, including an infamous incident involving Brady Tkachuk.

The 28-year-old earned a five-match suspension in December 2021 when he bit Tkachuk’s “bare left hand,” as per the NHL’s Department of Player Safety’s statement. Lemieux’s league record also reflects his play style, with 36 goals, 38 assists, and 548 penalty minutes in 307 games. Yet, the fan still supported the player’s perspective.

“Looked like the linesman legitimately took a dive too,” he added. Unfortunately for the Swiss NL player, he’ll miss the rest of Davos’ series against Zurich, which only has three possible matches left as per The Scouting Refs. Yet, what did you glean from this messy incident? Do you think it was an accident? Tell us in the comments.