NHL suspends Florida Panthers minority owner for ‘51st state' posts

The Guardian

13-05-2025

The NHL suspended Doug Cifu, minority owner and vice chairman of the Florida Panthers, on Tuesday following what the league called 'unacceptable and inappropriate' social media posts made during a heated exchange with a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
Cifu, who also serves as the Panthers' alternate governor, is barred from any involvement with the team or the league pending an in-person meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The league did not specify when that meeting would take place.
The offending messages were part of a back-and-forth on X (formerly Twitter) with a user identified as 'Dr Grizzo'. The exchange, which began with comments about the ongoing playoff series between the Maple Leafs and Panthers, quickly shifted to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Cifu's account prominently displayed five Israeli flags in his bio, alongside the statement 'all tweets mine'.
Tensions escalated after Dr Grizzo wrote: 'Hey, what's worse, using headshots to win a series or using starvation as a weapon to win a war?' – an apparent reference to accusations of high hits by Florida players in the series and the broader geopolitical conflict.
Cifu responded sharply: 'Actually being a whiny dope anti-semite is clearly worse. Loser.'
The exchange grew more heated after Dr Grizzo replied: 'Not approving of using starvation as a weapon makes me a bigot?' He added further comments about Cifu's stock market success and political affiliations.
That prompted Cifu to fire back with: 'Eat shit 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until ever [sic] last Hamas rat is eliminated.' His remarks referenced former US president Donald Trump's recent suggestion that Canada could be the '51st state', a comment that had drawn widespread debate.
Cifu's account was made private shortly after the incident and was deactivated entirely by Monday. The NHL acted swiftly, announcing its decision in a statement: 'The NHL has concluded that Mr Cifu's X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate. As a result, Mr Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL.'
The Florida Panthers did not release a statement of their own, instead pointing to an apology Cifu gave to Florida Hockey Now on Tuesday. 'Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media,' Cifu said. 'My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions.'
Cifu is the CEO of Virtu Financial, a financial technology services company he co-founded with Panthers owner and chairman Vincent Viola in 2008. His name was engraved on the Stanley Cup after the Panthers won their first championship in 2024.
The Maple Leafs and Panthers are currently tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series, which has been marked by physical play and controversy over hits, including a collision in Game 1 that forced Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz to exit the series. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Toronto.