William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs flipped the bird to a TV camera on Sunday, earning a $5,000 fine and a viral reminder of his behavior before he plays for Sweden in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Nylander, out with a groin injury, sat with other scratched teammates when a TSN camera focused on them during Toronto’s 4-1 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Nylander extended his middle finger in front of his face and smiled. The replay quickly circulated on social media.
“Only love for leafs nation,” he wrote hours later in an Instagram Story. “Sorry about my moment of frustration today! didn’t mean to upset anyone. looking forward to being back on the ice and not in the stands.”
The NHL wasn’t quite as chirpy in announcing the fine on Monday.
