Veteran NHL referee Tim Peel will no longer referee games for the league after he was caught in a microphone saying he “wanted” to score a penalty on the Nashville Predators in Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The NHL issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that Peel would no longer work for the league after he was heard on the Nashville broadcast saying he intended to take a penalty shortly after calling Predator striker Viktor Arvidsson for stumbling in the second period.
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“It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a f-king penalty against Nashville in the beginning of -“, said Peel before turning off the microphone.
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“Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game,” said Colin Campbell, senior executive vice president of hockey operations. “Tim Peel’s conduct is in direct contradiction to adherence to the fundamental principle that we demand from our managers and that our fans, players, coaches and all those associated with our game expect and deserve.”
Campbell continued: “There is no justification for your comments, regardless of context or intention, and the National Hockey League will take all necessary steps to protect the integrity of our game.”
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The Predators beat the Red Wings 2-0, despite the hiccup. When asked about the incident after the games, Nashville coach John Hynes said he was not looking for an excuse.
“I think the situation is what it is. I think, from our perspective, it probably doesn’t matter how I feel about it in general; but the referees are league officials and, instead of me commenting, I think it’s an issue that the league will have to take care of. “
He continued: “You always want to have things that are fair to your players and your team … We have to find a way to eliminate the penalty and control what we can control.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.