NHL suspends Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw one game for homophobic slur
Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw has been suspended one game for using a homophobic slur, the league announced Wednesday. The incident occurred late in the third period of Chicago's Tuesday night loss to the Blues in Game 4 of their playoff series, and the backlash was almost instantaneous.
Shaw was also fined $5,000 and will be required to undergo sensitivity training as part of his punishment. He'll miss Thursday's Game 5 with his team trailing 3-1 in the series.
"While Mr. Shaw was apologetic and remorseful for both the offensive comments and the inappropriate gesture directed at the on-ice officials, he must be held accountable for his actions," NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "The emotion of the moment cannot and will not be a mitigating factor for the conduct that is expected of an NHL player."
Shaw apologized via a team-issued statement on Wednesday and said he understood why the use of the word is unacceptable.
"I'll never use that word again, that's for sure," Shaw said via ESPN. "That's not the type of guy I am."
