An NHL referee paid the price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time ... he was blasted in the balls with a puck, but thankfully, the family jewels are still intact!

The cringe-inducing moment happened during the Vancouver Canucks-Utah Hockey Club game on Sunday at the Delta Center. Official Justin Kea was on the ice, doing his job.

Unfortunately, Kea inadvertently got in the way when Hockey Club forward Alexander Kerfoot attempted to get the puck down the ice and away from Canucks' Conor Garland.

The moment was captured on the broadcast ... Kerfoot turned around and fired the puck, not realizing Kea was right in his path ... and BOOM!

The frozen puck struck Kea right below the belt ... and by his quick reaction, it was clear he was in intense pain.

Kea -- an NHL ref since 2021 -- immediately collapsed on the ice ... where he remained for a a bit while he caught his breath.

The crowd (especially the men) understood Kea's pain and gave him a standing ovation for overcoming the nut shot.

Kea powered through the final minutes of the game -- Utah won 2 to 1.

Let's just hope he was wearing a cup!