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Most people who’ve spent enough time on the internet have come to realize there’s no real upside to interacting with random strangers who derive pleasure from knowing they were able to get under your skin. However, the vice chairman of the Florida Panthers couldn’t stop himself from doing exactly that and has been hit with an indefinite suspension as a result.
There’s been no shortage of bad blood between the Panthers and the Maple Leafs over the course of the second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series where the teams are currently tied at two games apiece after Florida managed to crawl out of the 2-0 hole it found itself in.
Things got very chippy at the end of Game 4 courtesy of Toronto’s Max Domi, who avoided a suspension but was hit with a $5,000 fine for hitting an unsuspecting Alexander Barkov from behind near the boards in the closing seconds of a contest that was firmly over.
However, Doug Cifu, the Panthers executive who serves as the franchise’s vice chairman and alternate governor, was not as lucky thanks to his decision to feed an internet troll in the wake of his team’s win.
After the game came to an end, a Maple Leafs fan who prides himself on his ability to rile up franchise owners and front-office executives turned his attention to Cifu, a vocal supporter of Israel who took the bait after the Toronto supporter invoked the conflict in Gaza while criticizing Florida’s propensity for dirty hits.
That exchange led to Cifu following up by telling the fan to “eat s—t” while referring to Canada as the “51st state,” a response that quickly made the rounds online.
There was initially no way to confirm Cifu had sent the tweet due to the protected nature of his account (which has since been deactivated), but according to The Toronto Sun, the NHL confirmed its veracity in a statement where it announced he’d been hit with an indefinite suspension pending a hearing, saying:
“The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu’s X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate. As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL.
An in-person meeting will be scheduled with Mr. Cifu and the Commissioner at a date to be determined.”
It’s worth noting that eight of the players currently listed on the Panthers roster hail from Canada, including a number of key contributors who probably aren’t too thrilled about that kind of rhetoric being deployed by a high-ranking member of the front office.
The Panthers and Maple Leafs will both have the chance to come one win away from advancing to the conference final when they meet on Wednesday night.