Jail for Coach Who Tripped Peewee Hockey Player

Player fractured wrists; judge says trip like 'sucker punch'
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 28, 2013 10:49 AM CST

Tripping another player in a hockey game will get you a two-minute penalty. But tripping after the game earned Martin Tremblay 15 days in jail. The thing is, Tremblay is a 48-year-old coach, and the opposing player he tripped was a 13-year-old who fractured his wrists in the fall. The incident happened last July in British Columbia, and Tremblay pleaded guilty to assault in November; the sentence the judge handed down was even harsher than what the prosecutor was calling for, reports Yahoo Sports.

The judge said Tremblay had abused the public's trust and compared the trip to "a cowardly sucker punch." Tremblay will serve his sentence on weekends and is also on probation for 12 months. His lawyer protested that the coach has already suffered plenty in the aftermath—Tremblay's wife has left him and his construction company is on the rocks due to his infamy—and noted Tremblay has a long history of volunteering as a hockey coach and scout leader. Tremblay had reportedly stopped taking his antidepressants when the incident happened. (More Martin Tremblay stories.)

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