That is not a hockey play. That is not an accident.
No it was not an accident as he had to raise his leg to kick or “push off” the opponent. It’s covered in the USA hockey rulebook sec 6:
Rule 627 | Kicking Opponent or Puck
(Note 1) Kicking is the action of a player deliberately using his skate(s) with a kicking motion to propel the puck or to contact an opponent.
(Note 2) A “push-off” with the skate is defined as the action where a player uses their skate(s) in a non-kicking motion to make contact with the opponent.
(a) A major plus a game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any player or goalkeeper who uses their skate to “push off” an opponent.
(b) A match penalty shall be assessed to any player or goalkeeper who kicks, attempts to kick or recklessly endangers an opponent by kicking.
I couldn’t find anything on the rules for the English league he was playing in so they be more or less descriptive of the act. if it was up to me, he put the opponent in danger with the act, and he should be suspended from professional hockey for a minimum of two years and up to five without pay depending on his history and the act itself.
wy69
The laws over there might be more strict.
Canada has charged players criminally before.