Chris Simon, an American Indian with the Washington Capitals, was suspended indefinitely Sunday by the National Hockey League amid accusations that he shouted a racial slur at a black player on the Edmonton Oilers.
Simon made the remark to Mike Grier at the end of the Capitals-Oilers game Saturday night in Landover, Md., some players and two on-ice officials said.
Simon, who honors his Ojibwa tribe heritage with long hair and a tattoo, traveled with the Capitals to Florida for Sunday night’s game. He had no comment, and the league did not disclose what Simon allegedly said.
The NHL will set a date Monday for a hearing to determine the length of the suspension.
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The league suspended Simon after talking to him and the officials by telephone.
“That’s what was strange to me, that it was someone who has his background and his race,” Grier said Sunday. “I didn’t expect it to come from another minority. It’s just a little more shocking.”
The Capitals-Oilers game ended with players shouting at each other. The officials broke them up before any punches were thrown. A gross misconduct penalty was called on Simon at 20 minutes of the third period.
“I definitely heard a racial slur from Mr. Simon,” Oilers coach Ron Low said.
– Detroit Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov was released from the hospital Sunday, nearly five months after suffering serious head injuries in a limousine crash.