In minor league hockey action, Bridgeport Islanders forward Adam Beckman has been suspended 10 games for pushing a referee into the boards during Saturday's AHL game against the Charlotte Checkers.
It happened midway through the third period with Charlotte leading 4-1. Beckman skated across the chasing the puck as it traveled behind the Checkers net, with referee Mike Dietrich skating backwards caught in Beckman's way. We are guessing Beckman saw Dietrich out of the corner of his eye and mistakenly thought it was an opposing Checkers player. We are basing our analysis on the way Beckman quickly went over to check on Dietrich after pushing him off his feet and into the boards.
Adam Beckman of the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL) has been suspended 10 games after this play for abuse of official 😳
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 9, 2025
(h/t @BB_URSentinel) pic.twitter.com/LZGJDaUe1Z
We have seen some players accidentally injure referees over the years and it can look really ugly. In this case, as bad as it looked, Beckman seemed very contrite in the moments after the incident.
Surprisingly, Beckman was not called for a penalty on the play. However, today the AHL announced the suspension handed down from the Players Safety Committee. They cited physical abuse of an official (Category II) according to AHL Rule 40.3 resulting in the automatic suspension. This effectively ends Beckman's season (as there are only 5 games left in the AHL regular season). His suspension will carry over to the first five games of next season, regardless of what team he is playing for. It is unfortunate, but seems like the right call.
[@BB_URSentinel via @GinoHard_]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
