Referee Tim Peel has been seriously injured.

The National Hockey League boasts the very best hockey players in the entire world and in a sport as fast and as physical as the game of hockey that means the league operates at an intensity unlike any other sport in the world. In a game that physical and that fast accidents are bound to happen and unfortunately for National Hockey League official Tim Peel he was reminded of that fact in a rather painful manner this week.

According to a report from Craig Morgan of The Athletic Peel suffered a fractured ankle during a match up between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Arizona Coyotes this week and now it sounds like he is going to be out for a significant period of time. Peel was injured when he was struck by a falling Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, and then himself fell awkwardly to the ice. Peel was in obvious discomfort as soon as he went down and had to hobble his way off of the ice. Peel headed for the closest player bench, which happened to be the Coyotes bench in this case, and immediately went down the tunnel for medical treatment and did not return. 

As you can see from the video provided below you can not really blame Toews for this one though, it appears as though he is tripped by Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the play, causing the fall that eventually results in the injury to peel. If anything I would be very careful if I were Ekman-Larsson to be on my best behavior the next time Tim Peel is officiating one of my games. 

Now National Hockey League insider John Shannon is reporting that this could prove to be a season ending injury for Tim Peel, and what a poor way to end a season that would be.

"Referee Tim Peel fractured his fibula Thursday in Glendale. Successful surgery and now home for the holidays... and probably the rest of the season," wrote Shannon.

It was just a few days ago that Peel was struck in the head by an erratic puck that took a weird bounce off the glass, it has not been a good campaign for Peel if this is indeed the end.