On Thursday, the NHL fined Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe and Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato $25,000 for “unprofessional conduct directed at the officials.”
The pair are the second and third coaches, respectively, to receive fines for conduct towards officials, and join Anaheim Ducks coach Greg Cronin in that distinction. He was fined in October. The fines will go towards the NHL Foundation.
Keefe and Granato both took exception to situations that occurred during their respective Tuesday games.
Granato disagreed with Sabres forward Zach Benson being called for a tripping penalty on Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola in Buffalo’s 3-2 loss. The issue eventually resulted in a third-period bench minor at 9:01.
The Panthers then used the ensuing 5-on-3 power play to score the game-winning goal.
“At some point, you’ve got to stand up for your team,” Granato said via ESPN. “You’re put in that position as a coach. It’s a tough position to be in. But you can’t sit and watch.”
Keefe was more subdued when discussing his interactions with the officials.
During the Maple Leafs’ 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Keefe got into it with referee Garrett Rank. That eventually led to Keefe receiving a game misconduct with only 2:14 left in the contest. Toronto came into the game with a seven-game winning streak.
“Not going there, not going there,” Keefe said when asked to discussed where this placed with other disputes he’s had with referees.
