Hockey referee plans to keep officiating after attack at New Kensington arena

When Mario de Leon returned home from refereeing an adult league hockey game Oct. 2, his wife saw the cut on his nose and wanted to know what had happened. He decided not to tell her, but then a court summons showed up.

A Buffalo Township man accused of attacking de Leon at Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 29 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone. Mario de Leon plans to be there to tell his side of the story.

The incident occurred after the referee called a holding penalty, investigators said.

According to New Kensington police, Jeremy Gregory Gilbert, 43, repeatedly punched de Leon, 57, of Richland, and pushed his head into the ice. Police charged Gilbert with assault on a sports official, a first-degree misdemeanor.

“It was out of the blue,” de Leon said. “He purposely skated into me after I called the penalty and I said, ‘You’re out of here.’ I (ejected him from the game), and he called me something and took a swing at me. And as he swung at me, I was going down holding his stick, and then he started smashing my face onto the ice.”

Players from both teams pulled Gilbert off de Leon, who finished refereeing the game.

Gilbert could not be reached for comment.

“Something must have been going on in his life that caused him to do something like that,” said de Leon, who also officiates lacrosse and wrestling. “That’s probably why he attacked me.

“Something’s going on, and the official seems to be the rag doll that they want to beat up on.”

He said the incident won’t keep him from refereeing adult hockey league games.

“I love the sport,” de Leon said. “The money is a bonus. It’s nice to get paid for something that you love doing. Whatever sport I officiate, I love doing. I’m not concerned about somebody else attacking me because it rarely happens.”

But de Leon said his wife wouldn’t mind if he gave up being a hockey referee.

“She hasn’t said anything about it since the attack, but I’m sure she thinks about it,” he said. “She knows I’ll stop when I’m ready to stop.”