William Nylander is set to face some discipline for giving the middle finger to broadcast cameras on Sunday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has been fined $5,000 — the maximum allowable under the CBA — for making an inappropriate gesture while in the press box, the NHL’s department of player safety announced Monday.
Nylander has already apologized twice for the incident — once on Sunday in an Instagram stories post, then again on Monday in front of the media — saying that he did it “out of frustration.”
The 29-year-old has not played since Jan. 15 due to a groin injury.
He watched Sunday’s game from the press box as his Maple Leafs fell 4-1 against the Colorado Avalanche for their fourth straight loss.
“I was sitting there and got a text message. I was like, ‘Oh, not a good idea. Not a good thing to do.’ But like I said, I apologize about that,” Nylander said in his apology earlier on Monday.
The forward was sitting alongside fellow Leafs scratches Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua, Calle Jarnkrok and Philippe Myers, and when he noticed the camera panned toward him, he decided to make the gesture while smiling.
In 2011, then-Boston Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference was fined $2,500 for raising the middle finger of his glove at Montreal fans after scoring a goal in a playoff series against the Canadiens.
One of the Leafs’ most important players, Nylander has 17 goals and 31 assists in 37 games this season.
