Despite Slur, No Suspension
Ottawa Senators center Vaclav Prospal escaped suspension Thursday for his ethnic slur against Montreal Canadiens defenseman Patrice Brisebois, but must attend a diversity-training session.
Prospal, who called Brisebois a "frog" punctuated by an obscenity in a Dec. 27 game, was told to come to New York to meet with NHL-appointed diversity trainer Zach Minor for further education and discussion regarding diversity-related issues.
The league deemed Prospal's public apology to French-Canadians as sufficient, especially because it was accepted by the Canadiens and Brisebois.
"The league and the NHL Players' Association view the matter closed as soon as the supplemental diversity training session has taken place," an NHL statement read. "While all NHL players are staunch competitors, the heat of battle does not justify the type of behavior displayed in this instance.
"The league, in conjunction with the NHL Players' Association, has gone to great lengths to educate and sensitize all NHL personnel to the diversities that exist in our league, as well as to the importance of respecting and appreciating those diversities."
The league said Prospal has acknowledged that his on-ice comments were inappropriate and has been told that any further incident of the same or similar nature will result in immediate disciplinary measures.
The NHL has on three occasions suspended players for making racist remarks.
Washington's Chris Simon was suspended for three games in 1997 for uttering a slur at Edmonton's Mike Grier, the Capitals' Craig Berube got one game for a similar offense against the Florida Panthers' Peter Worrell, and San Jose's Bryan Marchment also got one for a slur against Donald Brashear of Vancouver.
Grier, Worrell and Brashear are black.
Prospal, who is from the Czech Republic, said he wasn't aware saying "frog" could be taken as racist. His apology Tuesday was made to French-Canadians in general.
The NHL recently had consultant Minor visit the league's 28 clubs to deliver a talk and screen a video on racism and other forms of intolerance.
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