AHL coach banned 10 games for anti-gay slur

Chicago Wolves head coach Bob Nardella has been suspended 10 games by the American Hockey League for using anti-gay language toward officials in a game at the Texas Stars on Saturday.

As 8:48 of the third period, Chicago’s Kyle Marino was assessed a double-minor penalty for high-sticking. Nardella protested and was given a bench minor penalty and a game misconduct for abuse of officials.

On Tuesday, the AHL suspended him 10 games “as a consequence of his actions” in that game. The ruling was made by AHL president Scott Howson.

“The American Hockey League is committed to building a culture that is safe, inclusive and free from abuse, harassment and all forms of unethical behavior or misconduct,” the league said in a statement.

Nardella, 55, will be permitted to participate in team practices on non-game days during the suspension. He was hired in June as the team’s head coach after spending seven years as an assistant coach. Nardella was also a player for the Wolves for seven seasons, retiring in 2006.

The AHL also announced that Chicago Wolves forward Dominic Franco has been suspended for one game. He received an automatic one-game suspension for accumulating his second game misconduct in the “abuse of officials” category this season. That misconduct happened at the end of the game, an 8-5 loss to Texas.

The Wolves are currently unaffiliated with any NHL team and are playing this season as an independent.

Source: www.espn.com