The Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night to tie their Stanley Cup Playoffs series at two games each. After the game, Panthers' minority owner Doug Cifu got into it on social media with a Leafs fan. Now, the NHL has suspended Cifu amid an investigation into the NSFW posts. The Toronto Sun has the receipts from the confrontation and the latest on the investigation.
Panthers owner tilted LFG 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/qhk0DFCYOg
— Dr. Grizzo (PhD, MD, BA, MBA, 7'4 240 IQ) (@mrgrozz) May 12, 2025
Cifu called Canada the 51st State, referencing US President Donald Trump's plan to annex the country and make it part of the US.
The account allegedly run by Cifu posted, “Eat s*** 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until [every] last Hamas rat is eliminated.”
After the exchange, Cifu's account was locked, which made these posts unviewable to anyone who does not follow him. But the NHL saw them and has punished Cifu.
“The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu’s X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate. As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL,” a league statement read, per the Toronto Sun. “An in-person meeting will be scheduled with Mr. Cifu and the Commissioner at a date to be determined.”
Cifu is the Chief Executive Officer of Virtu Financial and has been a Panthers minority owner since 2013. He co-founded Virtu with Florida's owner, Vincent Viola. According to the Panthers' website, he is from Syosset, New York, on Long Island, and a graduate of Columbia University.
The Panthers look to put this distraction behind them and take Game 5 on the road on Wednesday night. No road team has won a game in the series yet, and the first one to do so will be firmly in the driver's seat. Panthers vs Maple Leafs Game 5 starts at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.