The NHL on Wednesday suspended referee Tim Peel for life after leaked audios in which the referee confessed that he purposely expelled one of the Nashville Predators players during the game against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. In the opening minutes, he scored a dubious penalty after Viktor Arvidsson’s foul against Jon Merrill.
The television station that broadcast the game recorded the controversial statements of the referee, who lost his job in the best hockey league in the world due to his lack of ethics and professionalism.
“It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a [expletive] penalty against Nashville early in the,” Peel was heard saying before his microphone was cut off after Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson was called for a tripping penalty at 4:56 of the second period.
“Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game,” Colin Campbell, the league’s senior executive vice-president of hockey operations, 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.” he added.
Tim was one of the oldest referees in the NHL, making his debut in 1999 and his idea was to retire in 2021. Throughout his career, he coached over 1000 matches and had the opportunity to be in some hockey matches at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
