The NHL has announced that referee Tim Peel will no longer be officiating games “now or in the future” due to an incident during Tuesday’s game between the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators where he was caught saying he “wanted to get” a penalty against the Predators.
“Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game,” NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations 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 our game.”
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Peel was scheduled to retire later this season and his final game was slated to be on April 24.
The incident occurred with 15:04 remaining in the second period when Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson was called for tripping Red Wings defenseman Jon Merrill in the offensive zone. Replays confirmed that the call was questionable, since Merrill appeared to embellish his fall.
Peel and Kelly Sutherland were the referees that were officiating this game, and Peel was the one that called the penalty on Arvidsson.
As the game was going to commercial just a few minutes later, the Predators’ television broadcast caught audio of Peel saying “It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a f—ing penalty against Nashville early.”
The audio clip was shared widely on social media, and just one morning later, the league made their announcement about Peel not working again.
“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,” Nashville head coach John Hynes said following the game.