Ryan Getzlaf fined $10,000 by NHL for offensive language
The Ducks captain was caught directing the insult at a referee during Game 4.
Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf will be $10,000 poorer after the NHL slapped him with a fine Saturday. During a stoppage in play in Game 4 between the Ducks and the Nashville Predators, the Anaheim captain appeared to yell a homophobic insult at a referee.
According to the NHL, Getzlaf’s comment violated a league policy against “the use of obscene, profane, or abusive language or gestures in the game.”
The fine levied at Getzlaf is the largest allowable under the NHL/NHLPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. In the league’s press release, Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell asserted that the insult was “inappropriately demeaning and disrespectful, and crossed the line into behavior that we deem unacceptable.”
The money Getzlaf pays will be directed to the NHL’s Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, which exists to help former players and their families in difficult financial situations.
Getzlaf will not miss any time in this Western Conference Final series, although Chicago Blackhawks player Andrew Shaw was suspended in last year’s playoffs for using a different slur. Across North American sports leagues, the Toronto Blue Jays recently suspended outfielder Kevin Pillar two games for using homophobic language against Atlanta Braves pitcher Jason Motte.
The series between the Ducks and Predators is currently tied at 2 heading into Saturday night’s Game 5. Anaheim evened things up on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win at Bridgestone Arena.
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The Ducks will host Nashville on Saturday at the Honda Center, hoping to take a 3-2 series lead as they vie for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins or Ottawa Senators.
Getzlaf, a star player for Anaheim, has 8 goals and 10 in 15 games so far for the Ducks in this postseason.