The NHL suspended Florida Panthers minority owner Doug Cifu on Tuesday due to a series of controversial posts made during a heated exchange on social media.
The incident occurred after the Panthers’ Game 4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in their second-round playoff series on Sunday. Cifu engaged in a back-and-forth with a Maple Leafs fan on X (formerly Twitter), which quickly escalated. As ESPN reported, the conversation veered from hockey to political issues, including the Gaza conflict and former President Donald Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the U.S.’s 51st state.
According to reports, the exchange began on May 11 with a user named “Dr. Grizzo” referencing both the Panthers’ physical style of play and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, writing: “Hey, what’s worse, using headshots to win a series or using starvation as a weapon to win a war?”
Cifu, whose X profile included pro-Israel content and several Israeli flags, replied, “Actually being a whiny dope anti-semite is clearly worse. Loser.”
The exchange continued with Grizzo questioning Cifu’s characterization, to which Cifu fired back, “Eat s— 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until every last Hamas rat is eliminated.”
Cifu later made his account private and then deactivated it.
In a statement obtained by The Toronto Sun, the NHL condemned Cifu’s remarks as “unacceptable and inappropriate,” announcing his indefinite suspension from team and league activities. The league also noted that a future in-person meeting between Cifu and Commissioner Gary Bettman will be scheduled.
