The NHL has suspended Governor Doug Cifu, Vice President of Florida Panthers and Governor Doug Cifu from engaging with teams and leagues.
CIFU interacted with Toronto fans on Sunday night in a post from X. Fans began trading hits by Florida players in this ongoing series by comparing maple leaves with Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
According to a Toronto fan, a post about the CIFU account was called “51st Anti-Semite Loser” by fans. President Donald Trump has often said that in recent months he hopes Canada will be added to the United States as the 51st state. The post was in one that was deleted shortly afterwards, and the account was subsequently suspended.
“The NHL concluded that Mr. CIFU’s X posting was unacceptable and inappropriate,” the league said in a statement, first reported by the Toronto Sun. “As a result, CIFU was suspended indefinitely due to his involvement in the club and the NHL.”
CIFU’s name is engraved in the Stanley Cup, part of the group the Panthers included in their tribute after winning their first title last year.
CIFU will hold a face-to-face meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman at some point.
“My actions do not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola Family,” CIFU said in a statement to Florida Hockey. “I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to correct my actions.”
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