When you're a referee, these are occupational hazards. A few days ago, Julia Kainberger was officiating a U20 game in Austria. A bad pass caused the 30-year-old to take the puck to the face; she quickly realized the seriousness of the injury. After receiving first aid, she was taken to the Salzburg hospital.
The result: a broken jaw, and the need to put away her whistle for a short time. This incident comes two months after the official announcement of her participation in the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympic Games; she is scheduled to referee the women's tournament.
While her participation seemed problematic, Kainberger offered reassurance in an article shared by the Austrian win2day ICE Hockey League. Despite this serious injury, her goal of refereeing at the Olympic Games remains intact: "For now, everything is looking good. If my recovery goes as planned, my participation in the Olympic Games should not be compromised. I am in close contact with the doctors and remain optimistic."
Julia Kainberger is a former player; she played junior with Ottawa Charge forward Anna Meixner. She retired in 2020, but she was already a linesperson before that; she took her first refereeing course in 2014.
Since then, she has taken part of numerous games in various men's leagues, both junior and senior. A few years ago, Julia became the first woman to officiate in the Alps Hockey League and then the win2day ICE Hockey League. In 2024, she became the first woman to referee in the Champions Hockey League, the major pan-European club league. She is a major pioneer in Europe.
Julia Kainberger has officiated at several IIHF women's tournaments, served as a linesperson at the 2022 Olympic Games, and later became a head referee. For sure, the trailblazer doesn't want a broken jaw to prevent her from competing at the 2026 Olympics !