NHL referee Tim Peel was fired after he was caught on a hot mic saying he wanted to call a penalty against the Nashville Predators.
The incident took place on Tuesday during the 2-0 Predators victory game against the Detroit Red Wings. Peel, who was wearing a mic, had just called Nashville forward Viktor Arvidsson for a tripping penalty on Detroit defenseman Jon Merrill in the second period when he made the comment.
"It wasn't much, but I wanted to get a f***ing penalty against Nashville early," he said, according to The Tennessean.
The league addressed the matter Thursday in a statement revealing that Peel would no longer be working NHL games.
"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game," said NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell. "Tim Peel’s conduct is in direct contradiction to the adherence to that cornerstone principle that we demand of our officials and that our fans, players, coaches and all those associated with our game expect and deserve. There is no justification for his comments, no matter the context or his intention, and the National Hockey League will take any and all steps necessary to protect the integrity our game."
Nashville was penalized three times during Tuesday night’s game, but Detroit was unable to convert their three power plays to advantages. Nashville coach John Hynes deflected the ordeal in interviews after the game.
"The referees are employees of the league and rather than me comment on it, it’s an issue that I think the league will have to take care of," he said, according to WOKV.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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