- The
NHL fired referee Tim Peel on Wednesday after a hot mic slip-up. - Peel was caught saying he wanted to give a penalty to The Nashville Predators.
- The NHL released a statement saying Peel's conduct was a contradiction of the league's principles.
The NHL announced that referee Tim Peel will no longer officiate games.
Peel was caught on a hot mic saying that he wanted to give a penalty to the Nashville Predators in the second period against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game," NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "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 of our game."
The penalty that Peel 'wanted' to give was against Nashville's Viktor Arvidsson for tripping Detroit's Jon Merrill just under five minutes into the second period.
-Matt Best (@bestofmatt) March 24, 2021
Peel could be heard saying: "It wasn't much, but I wanted to get a f---in' penalty against Nashville early in the..." before the audio cut out.
Replays suggested that the call was questionable as Merrill appeared to embellish his fall. Nashville won the game 2-0 as both teams were whistled for three penalties, while the Predators took a fourth for putting the puck over the glass in the third period.
Nashville head coach John Hynes took the high road after the game.
"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 employees of the league, and rather than me comment, I think it's an issue that the league will have to take care of," Hynes said in the postgame press conference. "You always want to have things that are fair for your players and for your team."
Peel has officiated over 1,300 NHL regular-season games and 90 playoff contests since 1999. He was set to retire at the end of this season at the age of 53. He was previously removed from a New Jersey Devil's game in 2015 after being photographed drinking at a bar with a Yahoo Sports reporter.