How Will NHL Discipline Andrew Shaw for His Behavior in Game 4 of Blues-Blackhawks Series?

Andrew Shaw did multiple things to bring shame to the NHL in the Blackhawks’ Game 4 loss to the Blues. How will the league discipline him?

Moving past Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series and getting ready to keep their hopes alive should have been the biggest concern for the Chicago Blackhawks late Tuesday night. They’ll be fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday night in St. Louis, and they can ill afford any more distractions or setbacks.

Instead, the Blackhawks will be forced to deal with some controversy, both in terms of organizational PR and possibly reacting to it from a personnel standpoint, as forward Andrew Shaw got himself in some very hot water near the end of Game 4.

Shaw, who received an interference penalty with 2:04 remaining in regulation (one that significantly curtailed the Blackhawks’ hopes of coming back during the final minutes), was infuriated by the call, and after arriving in the box, he slammed his stick against the glass while appearing to use an expletive and a homophobic slur, both of which start with the letter F.

The video was caught on Fox Sports Midwest’s cameras, and as a result, it looks like Shaw’s status may be up in the air for Game 5. Caution: If you’re a good lip-reader, the video below contains some sensitive language.

No matter who you root for, it’s difficult to dispute that Shaw’s analysis of the incident (or lack thereof) was downright cowardly. Via Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, Shaw’s response when pressed about his language:

"“Emotions were high. I don’t know what I said. I wasn’t happy with the call.”"

It’s pretty amazing that Shaw was so forgetful that he had no memory of using a word that is pretty impactful towards most people in 2016 just an hour or so earlier. Perhaps he should use the same defense that Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman used to get out of his suspension for shoving a referee from behind earlier this season.

Taking one particular response to Tuesday’s incident into account, it seems that it will be a matter of how much Shaw is disciplined, rather than if he will be or not. The NHL was quickly put on blast by the You Can Play Project, an organization that promotes equality on the playing field. You Can Play has had an official partnership with the NHL since 2013, and they teamed up with the Blackhawks earlier this month, releasing a video that now seems somewhat awkward under these circumstances.

In dealing with this matter, the NHL could take an example from the NBA, a league that (for no obvious reason) has had to deal with a disproportionately large number of these incidents in recent years. Earlier this season, Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo received a one-game suspension for using the same homophobic slur towards referee Bill Kennedy, a situation that was further complicated when Kennedy decided to come out publicly as gay shortly following the incident.

Though it’s unclear how much the extenuating circumstances involving Kennedy played a role in the decision to suspend him, this disciplinary action was a significant step up from the NBA, which had given fines in recent years to players like Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah for uttering anti-gay slurs on the court.

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All of this controversy comes without consideration to the fact that Shaw gave a double middle finger (under his gloves) to the officials on Tuesday night:

With Duncan Keith receiving a mere six-game ban for assaulting Charlie Coyle with his stick, documented instances of inconsistent penalty calls, and what’s seemingly been a record number of reviews on goals and offsides calls, the NHL has earned a reputation for letting the Blackhawks off easy. With the reputation of their brand at stake in a culture where inclusiveness is more expected than ever, though, it would almost be surprising if the NHL didn’t lay the hammer down on Shaw after his actions on Tuesday.