The NHL fired referee Tim Peel on Wednesday after a hot microphone captured him bragging about whistling a penalty because he “wanted to”.
The league action came less than 24 hours after Peel made the Nashville Predators’ 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena official.
Shortly after Nashville striker Viktor Arvidsson was charged with a stumbling penalty on defender Jon Merrill, a TV microphone on the side of the rink caught an officer saying, “It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a shitty penalty against Nashville earlier. “
The NHL determined that the voice was Peel’s and said the referee “would no longer be working on NHL games now or in the future”.
“Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game,” said NHL senior executive vice president Colin Campbell. in a statement on Wednesday.
“Tim Peel’s conduct is in direct contradiction to adherence to this fundamental principle that we demand from our managers 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 its intention, and the National Hockey League will take all necessary measures to protect the integrity of our game. “
Nashville’s penalties led to three power games for Detroit, but the Red Wings failed to convert into any of those advantages. The Predators had two power games and scored in one of them.
After the game, Nashville coach John Hynes was asked about the hot-mic comment and he postponed it to the NHL: “But the referees are league officials and, instead of me commenting on it, it’s a problem that I think that the league will have to take care of. “
A representative of the National Hockey League Officials’ Association could not be reached for comment. The union’s website still had Peel listed on its list of active arbitrators on Wednesday afternoon.
Peel, 53, joined the league in the fall of 1999 and directed 1,343 regular season games and 90 playoff matches on February 1, according to the union. He also worked on the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
The Associated Press contributed.