A notorious former hockey enforcer has to worry about a different type of hit now.
Old school brawler Brent Sapergia — who once threw the most unhinged coaching tantrum in hockey history — escaped the federal penalty box Monday after copping to his unlikely role in a massive Albanian drug trafficking cartel.
But while his government cooperation spared him a jail term, it also exposed him to a retaliatory strike from his former employers.
Sapergia — whose non-stop fighting and boozy antics stunted a once promising career — was sentenced to probation after cooperating against the multi-million narcotics ring he briefly worked for as an unwitting transporter.
The Canadian drew a cult following after 20 black and blue years playing for minor league teams from Manitoba to San Diego and became a viral Internet sensation in 2009 while coaching a hockey squad in Louisiana.
Displeased with the officiating, Sapergia, 50, tossed almost every item he could find near his bench onto the ice — including sticks, pads, and other gear. When there was nothing left to hurl, Sapergia dug into his pockets and began flinging loose change.
The notorious incident — made famous after being featured on “Good Morning America,” ESPN and web sites — cost the volatile coach his gig and forced him to look for other work.
Desperate to find employment after the implosion of his career on the ice, Sapergia was hired by a transportation firm to pick up packages from armored cars and to deliver them to various points across the US.
He was given a desk and a badge and was convinced that he had stumbled upon a stable and relatively lucrative job that didn’t require dropping the gloves or dealing with incompetent referees.
But Sapergia soon became suspicious about the nature of his work when the recipients of his packages began looking increasingly shifty.
Finally, DEA agents informed him that he had been transporting millions of dollars in cold hard cash for an international drug cartel and that he was under arrest.
Prosecutors concede that the old hockey enforcer likely had no clue about what he was hauling but didn’t quit the shady job quickly enough after his suspicions were aroused.
Sapergia – who lives with his wife out of state – was given probation by Judge Dora Irizarry and thanked her for her mercy.
Looking every bit the part of a hockey enforcer with a bald head and goatee, Sapergia did not comment as he left court.