NHL: Tim Peel will no longer work games 'now or in the future' after hot mic incident

The NHL announced Wednesday that referee Tim Peel will no longer work games "now or in the future" following his comments during the second period of Tuesday's contest between the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. 

"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game," NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "Tim Peel's conduct is in direct contradiction to the adherence to that cornerstone principle that we demand of our officials and that our fans, players, coaches and all those associated with our game expect and deserve. There is no justification for his comments, no matter the context or his intention, and the National Hockey League will take any and all steps necessary to protect the integrity our game."

Peel was caught by the Nashville broadcast saying, "It wasn't much, but I wanted to get a f-----g penalty against Nashville early," after Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson was called for tripping. 

Peel had been calling NHL games since 1999. He was one of the league's longest-tenured officials, along with Marc Joannette, Dan O'Rourke and Brad Meier.