When you do the crime, you’ve gotta do the time… Unfortunately, something was lost in translation as Columbus Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov was on the ice when he should’ve been in the box.
With 9:42 remaining in the third period, Voronkov and Washington’s Pierre-Luc Dubois were both given 10-minute misconduct penalties. Dubois headed to the locker room, while Voronkov skated to the bench.
One minute and 52 seconds later, he hopped back over the boards and returned to the ice. Once the officials spotted him, the whistle blew.
“Number 10 received a ten-minute misconduct earlier in the period,” announced referee Brian Pochmara. “He was no longer eligible and then he was on the ice, so there was an illegal player for Columbus on the ice. They have a minor penalty for an illegal player, and #10 for Columbus is still removed from the hockey game.”
This situation falls under Rule 68 – Illegal Substitution or Rule 70 – Leaving the Penalty Bench:
An illegal substitution shall be deemed to have occurred when a player enters the game illegally from either the players’ bench [or] from the penalty bench (penalty has not yet expired)…
A penalized player who leaves the penalty bench before his penalty has expired, whether play is in progress or not, shall incur an additional minor penalty after serving his unexpired penalty.
Sure, Voronkov didn’t have to actually be in the penalty box at the time, but that’s only because his misconduct penalty effectively ended his night.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported that Voronkov, who speaks only limited English, believed the referees were referring to him by number, and not the length of his penalty.
#CBJ Voronkov heard “10” and thought they were referring to him, not telling him that he’d been given a 10-min penalty.
So he took a seat on the Blue Jackets’ bench and noticed. A penalty was called when he took the ice for the power play a minute or so later.
2/3— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 12, 2025
“I could not stop laughing. It’s hilarious,” said Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli. “This guy gets a 10-minute misconduct, he goes back for a sip of [Gatorade], and thinks he’s ready for the [power play]. The ref said, ‘I told him!’ And we were like, ‘Oh, he doesn’t speak English at all.'”
Columbus head coach Dean Evason accepted blame on behalf of the bench staff.
“Well, we’ve got an accountability meeting with the coaching staff tonight or tomorrow morning,” Evason said, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. “Ultimately, it’s on me. We have to communicate that.”
The Columbus Blue Jackets went on to defeat the Washington Capitals 7-0. Referees for the game were Brian Pochmara (#16) and Jon McIsaac (#2) with linespersons Jonathan Deschamps (#80) and Jesse Marquis (#86).
