Former New York Rangers enforcer Dale Purinton fought a lot during his playing days.
Now he's accused of assaulting someone off the ice in a home burglary attempt, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office said.
Purinton, 38, was released on bail Friday after being charged with first-degree burglary, a sheriff's spokesman told The Huffington Post.
The ex-defenseman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly breaking into a man's home in Sylvan Beach, New York, on Aug. 11 and attacking him, according to officials. Purinton knew the victim, the spokesman told HuffPost. The victim was treated at a hospital in Utica and released.
Purinton fled the scene before police arrived, according to a news release. When law enforcement tracked him down, the former player, who later took the menacing mugshot above, was "very compliant with our investigator, very cooperative," the spokesman said to HuffPost.
Good thing, cause this is how Purinton used to make his living:
He compiled 578 penalty minutes in 181 games for the Rangers between 2000 and 2004.
But if he's convicted of the crime, he won't be sent to the penalty box. The sentence for first-degree burglary can range from three to 25 years in prison, the spokesman said.
Also on HuffPost:
