NHL
Florida Panthers minority owner Douglas Cifu has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL over posts on social media, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic.
The comments were made using an X account that has since been deactivated following the Panthers’ 2-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their second-round series on Sunday night.
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Cifu weighed in on the conflict between Israel and Palestine while responding to a Leafs fan who compared controversial hits by the Panthers to the conflict in the Middle East, asking him: “Hey what’s (sic) worse, using head shots to win a series or using starvation to win a war?”
Among the replies from Cifu’s account were, “Actually being a whiny dope anti semite is clearly worse. Loser” and “Eat s–t 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until ever (sic) last Hamas rat is eliminated.”
The Toronto Sun was the first to report on Cifu’s indefinite suspension from the NHL.
Cifu will meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at a mutually convenient time to discuss the duration of his suspension, according to Daly.
Cifu is a vice-chairman, partner and alternate governor of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment and has been known for using his former X account (@dougielarge) to share support for the team and interact with fans.
Cifu has held an ownership stake in the Panthers since buying the team with Vincent Viola in 2013. His name was among those engraved into the Stanley Cup following last year’s victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
On Tuesday, Cifu apologized for his actions in a statement issued to Florida Hockey Now: “Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media. My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions.”
(Photo: Jeff Sanzare / NHLI via Getty Images)
Chris Johnston is a senior writer covering the NHL for The Athletic. He has two decades of experience as an NHL Insider, having appeared on Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL Network before joining TSN in 2021. He currently hosts the “Chris Johnston Show” on the Steve Dangle Podcast Network. He’s written previously for the Toronto Star, Sportsnet and The Canadian Press. Follow Chris on Twitter @reporterchris
