Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment somehow got away with a blatant move during Sunday’s Western Conference semifinals Game 3 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Marchment was frustrated after not drawing a penalty call on two occasions during the second period of Sunday’s game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Tx. On his way to the bench after the second incident, Marchment angrily yelled at referee Graham Skilliter and used his stick to make contact with Skilliter’s shins.
Somehow, Marchment was not penalized, even though intentional contact with officials is strictly prohibited and is usually grounds for a penalty.
“You can’t make contact with an official under any circumstances.”
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 11, 2025
The panel discusses Mason Marchment’s brewing frustration that led to him whacking the ref. pic.twitter.com/37xHqGEx9C
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Marchment went to one of the officials at the start of the third period, presumably to apologize for losing his cool.
Marchment went to one of the officials at the start of the third, ostensibly to apologize https://t.co/VoeIDZfCME
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 11, 2025
Despite the apology, the NHL could still choose to go back and belatedly punish Marchment for this, putting his availability for Game 4 in doubt.
In general, intentionally making contact with a referee is a strict rules violation in any sport, and typically comes with substantial punishment. We have seen other instances in which players get away with it, though.
Marchment is one of Dallas’ key forwards, with 22 goals and 25 assists in 62 games during the regular season. The Stars went on to win the game 5-2, with Marchment uninvolved in any of the scoring.
