NHL under fire after Mason Marchment hits referee and receives no suspension

Okay, this one’s wild. Imagine you’re in the middle of a tense NHL playoff game, the stakes are sky-high, and you feel a call should’ve gone your way. Most players might shout or throw a quick glare. But Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment? He straight-up tapped a referee with his stick. Yes, that actually happened and even crazier? The NHL didn’t punish him for it.

Mason Marchment made contact with the referee during the game out of frustration, but no penalty was called in real time


During Game 3 of the Stars vs. Jets series, Marchment skated toward the bench clearly frustrated over what he thought should’ve been a penalty. Instead of just mouthing off, he reached out and gave referee Graham Skilliter a little tap on the shin pads with his stick while the game was still going.

Mason Marchment just tapped an official (Graham Skilliter) on the shin pad because he was upset with a non-call.

You definitely can’t do that and I imagine some sort of discipline is coming. pic.twitter.com/fVchFshpJg

— Jesse Blake (@JesseBlake) May 11, 2025

It wasn’t a huge whack, more of a “hey, pay attention” gesture. But still, physical contact with an official is a big no-no in hockey, no matter how minor. Surprisingly, there was no penalty issued at the moment. The game went on, and Dallas went on to win 4–1.

The NHL reviewed the stick tap incident but chose not to suspend or fine Marchment afterward


After the game, fans and analysts expected the league to step in. NHL Rule 40.3 is pretty clear: any player who “deliberately applies physical force to an official without intent to injure” should be suspended for at least 10 games.

“You can’t make contact with an official under any circumstances.”

The panel discusses Mason Marchment’s brewing frustration that led to him whacking the ref. pic.twitter.com/37xHqGEx9C

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 11, 2025

But according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the league did look into the clip and ultimately deferred to the on-ice officials' judgment. Since the refs didn’t see it as serious or intentional abuse, the NHL decided not to issue any supplemental discipline.

Also from Winnipeg/Dallas:

League has discussed incident at end of second period between Mason Marchment and referee Graham Skilliter.

It is on-ice officials' call to decide if that qualifies as an Abuse of Officials violation. The answer was no...so no further action

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 12, 2025

It makes zero sense why Mason Marchment would not receive a suspension.

— Jesse Pollock (@jpolly22) May 12, 2025

So yeah—no fine, no suspension, not even a public warning. Nada.

Fans are calling out the NHL’s inconsistent enforcement of rules when it comes to player-referee contact

As expected, fans aren’t thrilled. The Reddit hockey thread lit up with comments like “If this was a lesser-known player, he’d be gone for 10 games” and “The NHL really picks favorites.” Even some insiders believe this sets a dangerous precedent like, what is the line between frustration and abuse of officials?

If the league wants to make a statement

suspend Max Domi
suspend Mason Marchment

I know emotions are high in the playoffs but there's no place for bush league shit

— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) May 12, 2025

The debate about the Dallas “kicked” goal is one thing, but in what hockey universe can a player, Mason Marchment, wack a referee on the leg with his stick while screaming at him over a missed call, and not get suspended? The NHL I guess. Mind-boggling.

— Bob Irving (@BobIrvingCJOB) May 12, 2025

People are drawing comparisons to past suspensions that seemed less severe but drew harsher punishments. It’s clear the NHL is walking a tightrope between context and enforcement here and many think they fumbled this one.



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