Rival’s Attack Slices Hockey Player’s Face Pierce County Prosecutor Regards Assault As Part Of A Growing Trend

A stick-swinging attack that left a minor-league hockey player with a broken nose and 20 stitches in his face reflects a trend of sports-related violence, a prosecutor says.

Police notified Pierce County Prosecutor John Ladenburg shortly after the episode for which Phoenix Mustangs defender Jason MacIntyre was arrested during a West Coast Hockey League game with the Tacoma Sabercats.

Thom Cullen of the Sabercats bore zipper-like scars across his face and his left eye was swollen nearly shut Saturday, the day after the attack.

He said he pressed charges because this “isn’t something that usually happens. It’s not like it’s a trend in hockey. I’ve never seen it or been around it.”

Ladenburg disagreed, citing assault cases involving Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman against opposing players and coaches, referees, a photographer and a camera operator, as well as the one-year suspension of Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell for attacking his coach.

“Players for some reason are becoming more inclined to commit serious assaults,” he said. “What tends to happen is that, after all the appeals, they let them back into the sport.

“I haven’t seen any sport take a hard line, and we’re plenty busy in the criminal courts without trying to keep track of these things also.”

MacIntyre, 25, a native of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, was “very polite and cooperative” when he was arrested Friday night, police Sgt. Gary Stril said.

He posted $10,000 bail and was released Saturday pending arraignment on a felony charge of second-degree assault, which carries a maximum sentence of nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Phoenix coach Brad McCaughey said MacIntyre would have no comment.

League officials were unavailable for comment, but McCaughey said MacIntyre probably would be suspended.

“Right now, he’s pretty shaken,” McCaughey said. “He realized he snapped.

“It could hurt his career if he gets a suspension and a reputation, but he’s not somebody like that, not the kind that’s among the leaders in penalty minutes or incidents. It was a shock to me.”

Cullen collided with MacIntyre in the first period of the game, but that was “completely accidental and may have broken his nose,” the Sabercats player said. “I didn’t even realize I had done it.”

He said players of both teams were leaving the ice at the end of the second period when MacIntyre approached him and let fly with the stick.

“The Phoenix player took a full swing, like he was swinging a bat at Cullen’s face,” said William Evans, 19, of Maple Valley, Wash. “His whole face, the ice, everything was covered in blood.”