Shortly afterward, Cifu issued an apology through the Panthers organization.
NHL officials have suspended Florida Panthers minority owner Doug Cifu indefinitely after a series of inflammatory social media posts defending Israel and criticizing Canada during a heated exchange with a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
Following his team’s 2-0 victory in Game 4 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Monday, Cifu responded angrily to a fan who compared controversial hits in the playoff series to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“Hey what’s worse, using headshots to win a series or using starvation as a weapon to win a war?” wrote the Leafs fan, who goes by “Dr. Grizzo” on X.
Quickly escalating beyond hockey, Cifu’s response turned personal by writing, “Actually being a whiny dope anti-semite is clearly worse.”
After the fan replied that disapproval of “using starvation as a weapon” doesn’t make someone a bigot and made a derogatory comment about Cifu’s political views, Cifu fired back with: “Eat s— 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until every [sic] last Hamas rat is eliminated.”
Shortly after the exchange, Cifu made his account private before deactivating it completely, according to the New York Post. Known for his pro-Israel stance, his account bio had included the word “Israel” followed by five Israeli flag emojis.
“The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu’s X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate,” league officials wrote in a statement on Tuesday. “As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL.”
League administrators added that an in-person meeting will be scheduled between Cifu and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman at a date to be determined.
Shortly afterward, Cifu issued an apology through the Panthers organization.
“Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media,” he said. “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.”
Game 5 of the Panthers-Leafs series heads to Toronto tonight night with the teams deadlocked at two games apiece.
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