BOSTON -- New Jersey Devils Coach Jim Schoenfeld was suspended by the NHL from Game 5 of the Wales Conference final with the Boston Bruins Tuesday night for 'physically demeaning' conduct to a referee.
NHL President John Ziegler also fined Schoenfeld $1,000 and fined the Devils franchise $10,000 for the coach's behavior following Game 3 Friday night in New Jersey. Ziegler said the fines -- but not the suspension -- could be appealed.
'I disagree with the ruling completely,' Devils owner John McMullen said. 'This is not finished.'
Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello replaced Schoenfeld behind the bench for Game 5.
Ziegler's decision followed a four-hour hearing at a Boston hotel. He called the coach's behavior 'unseemly,' adding 'it was clear Mr. Schoenfeld's conduct was physically demeaning' to referee Don Koharski.
The Devils lost 6-1 Friday night at the Meadowlands Arena. Afterward, replays showed Schoenfeld shouting at Koharski as the official left the ice. The tape did not show whether Schoenfeld shoved Koharski.
Schoenfeld was orginally suspended for Sunday night's Game 4, but a restraining order obtained by the Devils allowed him to coach. The regular officiating crew, led by Dave Newell, president of the NHL officials' union, refused to work and were replaced by amateur officials. New Jersey won 3-1.
The Devils sought Tuesday to have the restraining order continued by a New Jersey judge but the request was denied. The earlier order had been granted after the Devils complained Schoenfeld had been suspended without a proper hearing.
'Those kinds of things you wished never happened,' Ziegler said of the incident. 'But the league will survive.'
He was questioned at a news conference about his whereabouts during the weekend.
'I was on a personal errand and that's all I'll have to say about it,' he said.
Asked when he attended his last NHL game, Ziegler said: 'I don't have to answer that.'
Ziegler did not take part in the original suspension and could not be reached by league officials over the weekend.
'I'm not happy I was unavailable,' he said, adding later in the news conference, 'My not being available by phone has to be addressed.'
The NHL president criticized the Devils for seeking the restraining order, which precipitated the referees' walkout before Game 4.
'We never believe it's proper for our teams to use the courts,' he said.
Ziegler said the league will examine the NHL arenas for situations where a player or coach could come in contact with an official.
'There are four or five arenas we're not satisfied with,' he said. Asked if the Devils' rink was one of these, he said: 'It hadn't been.'
Bruins General Manager Harry Sinden criticized New Jersey's front office for its handling of the affair, which he called the worst he could remember in his NHL career.
'I am concerned that the Devils abide by the bylaws and the constitution of this league,' he told Boston television station WCVB.
Sinden agreed with Ziegler that the league would recover from the controversy.
'The game will survive in spite of the people who appear to want to destroy it sometimes,' he said.
He said the Bruins had no choice but to permit Schoenfeld to participate in Game 4, saying any attempt to have him removed could have been 'in contempt of court. He was there under the laws of the land.'
