A rare Olympic ban just hit a Team France player after the Canada game
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Although he escaped punishment from the IIHF for his fight with Tom Wilson, French defender Pierre Crinon has been banned from the rest of the Olympics by France.
On Monday, the French National Hockey Federation announced they had banned defenceman Pierre Crinon for the remainder of the Olympics for conduct detrimental to the team for his involvement in a fight with Team Canada's Tom Wilson.
The Federation put out the following statement (translated from French):
Following the France-Canada game and the attitude of player Pierre Crinon, on and off the ice, Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, president of the FFHG and deputy head of mission of the French delegation, heard the player in an interview in the presence of Fabien Saguez, head of mission of the Olympic delegation, the national technical director of the FFHG and the staff of the French Team.
In this regard, Pierre Crinon's provocative behavior upon leaving the ice, even though he had just been ejected from the game for fighting, constitutes a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.
The decision was therefore taken, in full alignment with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to allow his participation in the next match(es) of the Olympic tournament.
In this regard, Pierre Crinon's provocative behavior upon leaving the ice, even though he had just been ejected from the game for fighting, constitutes a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.
The decision was therefore taken, in full alignment with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to allow his participation in the next match(es) of the Olympic tournament.
Crinon was seen taunting Wilson as he was escorted off the ice, and the French committee found that type of behaviour was unprofessional and unbecoming of an Olympian.
History shows Crinon a more controversial player than anticipated
Unlike Italy's Cristiano Digiacinto, Crinon avoided suspension for his actions from the IIHF, and it's unknown if this will affect his playing status in France as well.
Crinon, 30, is a player who has strictly played his entire career in France except for a small stint in Slovakia; he has
He has some history behind him as he's been involved in previous incidents including getting a seven-game suspension for punching a maskless goalie while playing for Grenoble and has several fights under his belt.
Crinon had one assist in three games but had 33 PIM in that span, which was by far the highest total during the tournament.
This season, Crinon has nine points in 29 games with Grenoble.
With his actions previous this year, coupled with his taunting nature and involvement with Wilson during the Canada-France game, it's clear they are getting a little tired with his antics and felt his removal was necessary.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 16|975 ANSWERS A rare Olympic ban just hit a Team France player after the Canada game Do you think France was right or wrong to suspend Pierre Crinon the remainder of the Olympics? | ||
| Right | 436 | 44.7 % |
| Wrong | 337 | 34.6 % |
| Indifferent | 202 | 20.7 % |
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