SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Hockey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
COLUMNS
NHL
The Teams
Full Schedule
Monthly Schedule
Standings
Statistics
Rosters
Injury list
Movement
Trades
Hits Gallery
INTERACTIVE
JUNIOR
MORE HOCKEY
ALSO ON SLAM!
Tuesday, 6 October, 1998
NHL probes allegations of racial slurs during exhibition
MIAMI (AP) -- The NHL, which last year suspended two Washington Capitals players for using racial slurs, has another case on its hands before the regular season even begins.The Florida Panthers allege two Tampa Bay Lightning players used slurs against winger Peter Worrell, who is black. Panthers president Bill Torrey voiced his anger to commissioner Gary Bettman following Tuesday's Board of Governors meeting in New York.
Darcy Tucker and Sandy McCarthy are accused of using slurs during Friday's exhibition in Jacksonville.
NHL investigators hope to reach a conclusion before the teams meet again Friday night in their season opener. Either player could be suspended if evidence supports the charges.
"Our security department is still gathering facts," NHL spokesman Frank Brown said. "That process remains in progress."
Eyewitnesses, who include members of the Panthers' front office, allege Tucker and McCarthy began taunting Worrell by gesturing like an ape while all three were in the penalty box. Later, Tucker allegedly used a racial slur against Worrell in the Jacksonville Coliseum hallway.
"We want to go to the league in this situation in confidence and tell them what we think happened or was said," Panthers general manager Bryan Murray said. "It's up to them how they want to handle it."
McCarthy and Tucker denied the charges.
"When I was growing up I had to go through that," said McCarthy, whose father is black and mother is Canadian Indian. "I would never go there. I want to see the person who says I did that stand in front of my face and tell me I said that because I would never do that. I would never say that to this man."
Worrell said he had nothing to do with the accusations and denied hearing any slurs or seeing any racial gestures made toward him.
"I didn't hear or see anything. I don't think it's an issue," Worrell said. "I just want to make the team."
Brown said it would take a few days for investigators to talk to those who might have heard either exchange. The fact that the game was not at a regular NHL venue, where game officials would be more readily available, also was a disadvantage.
"This is a time-consuming procedure," he said. "There are a lot of people involved. Aside from the uniformed participants, we need to locate people who work at the venue who might have been within earshot of these alleged remarks."
Lightning general manager Phil Esposito called the incident an attempt at gamesmanwhip by the Panthers.
"This is typical Florida Panthers bull," Esposito said. "This is just them trying to get us off our game because we're playig them in the opener. It's not right."
Lightning coach Jacques Demers, who is French-Canadian, said Florida players made ethnic slurs toward him after the game.
"I was called a frog when I left the ice and I overlooked it. I just left the ice," Demers said. "I didn't report it to the league or anything."
Worrell also was the target in one of last year's incidents, when Washington's Chris Simon and Craig Berube were suspended for allegedly using racial slurs.
Simon was suspended Nov. 9 for a slur against Edmonton forward Mike Grier. Less than two weeks later, Berube reportedly called Worrell a monkey.
