The National Hockey League has indefinitely suspended Florida Panthers vice chairman and alternate governor Doug Cifu following a series of social media posts that included strong pro-Israel and anti-Hamas statements during an exchange with a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
During Game 4 of the Panthers’ playoff series against the Maple Leafs on May 11, a fan criticizing Florida’s aggressive style of play drew a parallel to the Israel-Hamas war and falsely accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza.
Cifu, whose X profile prominently featured Israeli flags and pro-Israel statements, responded with a series of heated posts, including: “Eat s*** 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until every last Hamas rat is eliminated.”
The NHL deemed Cifu’s posts “unacceptable and inappropriate,” leading to his suspension from any involvement with the Miami area team or the league pending an in-person meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Cifu, who is also the CEO of Virtu Financial, co-founded with Panthers owner Vincent Viola, issued a public apology, stating, “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.”
The Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions, lead their second-round playoff series against Toronto 3–2, with Game 6 scheduled for Friday in Florida.
