Maple Leafs forward William Nylander fined the NHL's max amount
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
William Nylander has been fined the max amount of $5,000 under the NHL's CBA for his obscene gesture that was caught on camera during Sunday's game.
It's been a rough 24 hours for the Maple Leafs as not only are they dealing with a losing streak, but the backlash around William Nylander's obscene gesture to the TV camera as he sat in the press box.
While Nylander was having fun, the incident caught everyone off guard and the forward has repeatedly apologized for his lack of awareness and why he shouldn't have done it in the first place.
NHL fines Nylander $5,000 for his actions during Sunday's game
The league was investigating the incident and it turns out that it has indeed warranted more punishment:
The news comes courtesy of Darren Dreger who was first on the information. While it's merely peanuts compared to the amount of money Nylander makes, it's not a great look overall for him or the team.
NHL Head of Player Safety George Parros also put out a brief statement regarding the incident:
The gesture was shown live on-air during the game broadcast. This serves as a reminder the code of conduct governing players extends throughout the arena at NHL games and in public game situations.
There's a lot of frustration and tension in Toronto right now and the last thing the team needs is one of their star players going against the script and getting in trouble.
It feels like this is just all part of whatever this season is supposed to be; a season filled with a lot of questions about the future direction of the team.
Nylander has been a bright spot all things considered, as he still leads the team with 48 points in 37 games even if he's missed a fair chunk of the season with injuries.
There is no word or indication if this incident will affect Nylander's Olympic standing although it's probably best if he decided to keep things civil with the media going forward because who knows who could be watching.
Nylander's actions a rare but clearly punishable occurrence
This type of indecent act isn't exactly a common occurrence, as NHL players seem to avoid gesturing to each other and prefer to scream their frustrations and obscenities instead.
Andrew Ference was fined however back in 2011 but only for $2,500 for his flipping the bird to the crowd during a game, but this is fairly rare in the modern game though he blamed his incident on a glove malfunction.
There is still a certain decorum when it comes to being a Maple Leafs player and as one of the league's most popular and profitable franchises; there has to be a standard and Nylander can't just blame it on something or someone other than himself.
Joking or not, we all know that Nylander's actions have a certain gravitas behind it, and even if he was joking around, thinking before acting might be a smart choice in the future.
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JANVIER 26|1135 ANSWERS Maple Leafs forward William Nylander fined the NHL's max amount Did William Nylander deserve his $5,000 fine? | ||
| Yes | 724 | 63.8 % |
| No | 411 | 36.2 % |
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