William Nylander Being Fined $5,000 for Obscene Gesture During Maple Leafs Game Has Fans Losing It: “This League Is a Joke”

William Nylander would show off his middle finger to the camera from the press box during the game against the Colorado Avalanche.

William Nylander Being Fined $5,000 for Obscene Gesture During Maple Leafs Game Has Fans Losing It: “This League Is a Joke”

William Nylander (Image via ClutchPoints)

William Nylander found himself in hot water on Sunday after making an obscene gesture in front of the camera during the Toronto Maple Leafs-Colorado Avalanche game. On Monday, the forward was slapped with a fine of $5,000 by the NHL Department of Player Safety.

The Swedish international was out of action due to a groin injury. Along with other injured stars Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua, Calle Jarnkrok and Philippe Myers, Nylander was sitting in the press box high in the Scotiabank Arena and watching the game.

During the third period, the Maple Leafs were 3-0 down. A camera would then pan towards the press box and show Nylander and the other injured stars. After having some exchange with Tanev, Nylander would look towards the camera and show the middle finger.

This moment would soon go viral on social media. The 29-year-old would later issue an apology regarding this incident. In a statement on his Instagram story, he called it a “moment of frustration.”

Only love for Leafs Nation. Sorry about my moment of frustration today! I didn’t mean to upset anyone. Looking forward to being back on the ice and not in the stands. Love, Willy

William Nylander on Instagram

Despite the apology, Nylander will have to face consequences for his actions. The NHL Department of Player Safety handed him a fine of $5,000, the maximum amount under the current CBA for making an “inappropriate gesture” towards the camera.

After this fine, George Parros, the head of the NHL Department of Player Safety, also issued a statement.

The gesture was shown live on-air during the game broadcast. This serves as a reminder the code of conduct governing Players extends throughout the arena at NHL games and in public game situations.

George Parros said regarding William Nylander in a statement

This is not the first time a player has been fined for flipping off in front of the camera. In 2011, then-Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ferenc was fined $2,500 for raising the middle finger of his glove towards the Montreal Canadiens fans after tying the game.

Social media reacts to William Nylander getting fined $5,000 for showing middle finger to camera

William Nylander will have to pay $5,000 as a fine for showing off his middle finger to the camera on Sunday. This fine placed by the NHL Department of Player Safety did not receive positive reactions from the fans, as they bashed them on social media.

William Nylander
William Nylander (Image via X/@BR_OpenIce)

Many users on X criticized the Player Safety department for this. Some called them out for not calling out some dangerous hits by players. One wrote, “This league is a joke” while taking a swipe at them.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Some NHL fans also pointed out why Utah Mammoth star Mikhail Sergachev was not fined for this last season. After a 6-1 loss against the St. Louis Blues in the final game of their inaugural season, the Russian international would flip off the camera as the players headed back to the locker rooms.

William Nylander issued another apology during practice

It was not the best of moments for William Nylander on Sunday. The frustration got the better of him as he flipped off the camera while watching the action from the sidelines. During Monday’s practice round, the player issued another apology.

William Nylander
William Nylander (Image via X/@BR_OpenIce)

While speaking to a scrum of reporters during practice, the 2024 All-Star expressed that he was “sorry” about what happened, and it was not a good thing to do.

Yeah, first off, I just wanna apologize for my actions. It’s a lot of frustration, so I’m sorry about that… Sitting there, I got a text message… I was like oh, not a good idea. Not a good thing to do.

William Nylander told the reporters

Nylander is the top point scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season with 48 points (17 goals and 31 assists) in 37 games. He has been out of action since January 15, when the Canadian side took on the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Maple Leafs have suffered a dip in form in recent games. They have lost 4 successive games and have won just one of their last 7 games, leaving them with a 24-19-9 record after 52 games.

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