The Washington Capitals have cut ties with forward Brendan Leipsec, who found himself at the center of an embarrassing leaked group chat in which he was caught making disparaging comments regarding the significant others of fellow players. He also to a pair of former teammates as “losers”, as well as talking about his love of cocaine.
“The National Hockey League strongly condemns the misogynistic and reprehensible remarks made by players Brendan Leipsic and Jack Rodewald in a private group chat that has surfaced on social media,” the league said in a statement. “There is no place in our league for such statements, attitudes and behavior, no matter the forum.”
Leipsic later issued an apology:
“I fully recognize how inappropriate and offensive these comments are and sincerely apologize to everyone for my actions,” Leipsic said. “I am committed to learning from this and becoming a better person by taking time to determine how to move forward in in an accountable, meaningful way. I am truly sorry.”
Meanwhile, former Detroit Red Wings forward Brett Hull had a different take on the situation, saying that social media has sucked the fun out of today’s game compared to when he played.
“
We did the same things, we said the same things, but there was no way to get caught,” Hull said on Sportsnet’s “Hockey Central” on Friday. “We can go out after games, we can go to strip clubs, we can go to bars, and we could do whatever we wanted, and it would all be hearsay.”
“The fun is gone,” he added. “The game is not fun anymore to me. These guys, they take their Xboxes on the road with them, and it’s so sad. But it’s the nature of the game, right? Do you want to go out and have everyone with their cell phone on you, or do you want to just make sure you don’t get in trouble?”
Hull won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings during the legendary 2001-02 season, and is one of the highest scoring forwards in NHL history. He currently serves as the executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues, with whom he spent a bulk of his career.
– – Quotes via Andy Clayton of the NY Daily News Link – –
– – Quotes via Sean O’Leary of TheScore Link – –
