ZURICH – The Disciplinary Panel of the International Ice Hockey Federation has suspended Team Norway defenceman Ole Kristian Tollefsen for three international games for the hit to the head delivered on February 23, 2010 in the men’s Olympic game Slovakia vs. Norway.

This means that, if selected to the national team, Tollefsen cannot play for Team Norway in the first three games of the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany (Cologne, Mannheim, May 7-23).

It was in the first period of the February 23rd game that Ole Kristian Tollefsen checked Slovak player Lubos Bartecko to the head. Bartecko was knocked unconscious, suffering a severe concussion and a laceration to the back of the head.

The review showed a clear movement of Tollefsen’s upper arm and elbow to the head of the Slovak player.

Bartecko did not return for the remainder of the tournament and was out of club competition for several weeks following the incident.

The games that Tollefsen would miss are Norway’s all three Preliminary Round games; vs. Sweden, Czech Republic and France. Tollefsen is with the Detroit Red Wings organization, but has not played any games with the NHL team since the February 6 trade from Philadelphia. He finished the season with the AHL’s Grand Rapid Griffins, who did not make the playoffs, making Tollefsen available for the World Championship.

Bartecko finished the season with Färjestad Karlstad of the Swedish Elitserien.