Heated Comment Caught By Mic Costs NHL Ref His Job

An incident with a hot mic has ended an NHL ref’s career.

The National Hockey League confirmed in a statement Wednesday (March 24) that Referee Tim Peel is no longer working NHL games, “now or in the future.”

The announcement comes after the Detroit Red Wings took on the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night (March 23).

During the game, Peel apparently said into a hot mic, after Nashville’s Viktor Arvidsson got a minor tripping penalty minutes into the second period, that “it wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a (expletive) penalty against Nashville early,” Detroit's Local 4 reported.

NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said in the statement Wednesday:

“Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game. 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.”

Ultimately, the Preds won 2-0.

Photo: Getty Images