Andrew Shaw Flipped The Double-Bird And Shouted A Gay Slur At A Referee

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw blew a gasket at the end of his team’s 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night and he may find himself in hot water with the league as a result.

In the closing minutes of Game 4 in Chicago, Shaw was assessed a well-deserved interference penalty that delivered a huge blow to his team’s comeback chances in a crucial game. Clearly irked by the call for whatever reason, Shaw absolutely went off on a referee and flipped him the double-bird as he skated to the penalty box.

After arriving in the sin bin, he took out his anger on a bunch of water bottles.

But he wasn’t done there. Shaw’s final act of protest appeared to be hurling a homophobic slur at the referee, possibly for the second time in the game. I’m not a lip-reading expert, but this seems pretty clear, no?

Shaw was asked about his comments following the game and if anyone was hoping he’d apologize, they would have been supremely disappointed.

Now all eyes turn to the NHL to see how they handle the incident. The Blackhawks partnered with the You Can Play project, which helps battle homophobia in sports, just a few weeks ago, and they were quick to address Shaw’s actions on Tuesday night.

The NHL is notably lax on players’ transgressions during the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see what type of discipline Shaw may face heading into Game 5 with Chicago facing an elimination game.

UPDATE: Shaw and the Blackhawks have both released statements regarding the incident.

UPDATE x2: The NHL has suspended Shaw for Game 5, as well as fined him $5,000.