Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf fined $10,000 for using homophobic slur against a ref in Game 4

The fine is the maximum amount allowed by the NHL’s CBA.

Ryan Getzlaf, captain of the Anaheim Ducks, has been fined by the NHL for using a homophobic slur during Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Nashville Predators.

The $10,000 fine is the maximum amount allowed by the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players Association.

Getzlaf was caught by television cameras yelling a homophobic slur at a referee in overtime, then moments later on the bench, though there was no audio of the incident.

NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell had this to say in the NHL’s statement on Getzlaf’s fine.

"Getzlaf's comment in Thursday's game, particularly as directed to another individual on the ice, was inappropriately demeaning and disrespectful, and crossed the line into behavior that we deem unacceptable. The type of language chosen and utilized in this instance will not be tolerated in the National Hockey League."

In the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL suspended then Chicago forward Andrew Shaw one game for a similar on-camera incident, with a $5,000 fine for inappropriate gestures to a referee.

While the NHL clearly deems the comments made by Getzlaf “unacceptable”, it’s hard to understand why the league didn’t suspend him for an integral Game 5 to send a message. As Chicago beat writer Mark Lazerus put it so succinctly, there should be no sliding scale on the treatment of homophobic behavior in the NHL.

Getzlaf was paid $9.025 million in salary by the NHL this year, via CapFriendly. A $10,000 fine is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he made per day this regular season.

The incident also comes on the heels of the completion of Hockey is for Everyone month back in February.

No statement has been made yet by Getzlaf or the Ducks on the fine.