The Minnesota Wild and the Edmonton Oilers were level on points going into Tuesday night at Rogers Place, in one of the better early-season matchups the Western Conference had to offer. But something else caught fans’ attention.
During a stoppage, with the referee announcing a penalty, a microphone that should not have been live sent a comment out to everyone watching.
“Every goalie is r*****ed,” the voice said.
Who said it is anybody’s guess. The audio could have come from an official, from somewhere in the broadcast setup, or simply from a microphone picking up the crowd. Nobody has been identified and no explanation has been offered.
The one clue in the clip is what follows the comment. A woman can be heard laughing, which at least rules out the benches.
Supporters watching reached the same conclusion fairly quickly.
“Oh, someone’s in shit,” one wrote.
“Instant classic,” said another, while a third pointed out how much the surrounding world has changed: “This would be legendary if it was 2004.”
Will the NHL respond to the hot mic incident?
There are two recent precedents and neither is comfortable reading for whoever said it. Referee Tim Peel was removed from the league permanently in March 2021 after a hot mic caught him saying he had wanted to call a penalty against Nashville. Last December, the Philadelphia Flyers suspended radio play-by-play man Tim Saunders for two games over a crude remark he made believing he was off air, with the club saying the words did not reflect the standards it expects of anyone associated with the organization.
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This case carries an additional problem. The word used is a slur against people with intellectual disabilities rather than ordinary dressing-room profanity, which tends to attract a different kind of institutional response.
No discipline has been announced, and the league hasn’t commented. Until somebody works out whose voice it was, there may not be anybody to discipline.
There was a game, for what it’s worth. Edmonton won 4-3 in overtime, with Jesper Wallstedt taking the defeat despite a season that has brought him six wins and a .922 save percentage, and Devon Levi picking up his fourth win in five appearances for the Oilers.
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