The National Hockey League has indefinitely suspended Doug Cifu, the Jewish vice chairman and alternate governor of the Florida Panthers, following inflammatory remarks made on social media that touched on the Israel-Hamas conflict and included derogatory language.

The incident stemmed from a heated exchange on X (formerly Twitter) between Cifu and a Toronto Maple Leafs fan after the Panthers’ playoff victory on Sunday. The fan drew a parallel between the Panthers’ aggressive play and the Israel-Palestine conflict, prompting Cifu to respond with offensive language, referring to the fan as a “51st state antisemite loser” and expressing strong pro-Israel sentiments.

NHL slams Cifu’s pro-Israel posts 

In response, the NHL issued a statement deeming Cifu’s posts “unacceptable and inappropriate,” leading to his indefinite suspension from any involvement with the team or the league. An in-person meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is anticipated as part of the disciplinary process.

Cifu, who also serves as CEO of Virtu Financial – a company he co-founded with Panthers owner Vincent Viola – has publicly apologized, acknowledging that his behavior did not reflect the standards of the Panthers organization or the Viola family. He expressed a commitment to working with the NHL to amend his actions.

The Panthers and Maple Leafs were tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, with Game 5 taking place in Toronto late Wednesday night.