Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe and Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato were each fined $25,000 by the NHL on Thursday for “unprofessional conduct directed at the officials.”
Both incidents occurred during their teams’ respective games Tuesday night.
Keefe argued with referee Garrett Rank and received a game misconduct with 2:14 remaining in the third period of Toronto’s 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The loss snapped the Maple Leafs’ seven-game winning streak.
“Not going there, not going there,” Keefe said, when asked about how his disagreement with the officials ranked against others in the past.
Granato’s actions resulted in a bench minor at 9:01 of the third period of Buffalo’s 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Granato took issue with the officials after Sabres forward Zach Benson was whistled for a tripping penalty on Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola.
Brandon Montour scored what proved to be the winning goal on the ensuing 5-on-3 power play.
“At some point, you’ve got to stand up for your team,” Granato said after the game. “You’re put in that position as a coach. It’s a tough position to be in. But you can’t sit and watch.”
Keefe and Granato are the second and third coaches fined by the NHL this season, joining Anaheim Ducks coach Greg Cronin, who was also fined $25,000 for the same reason in October.
The money will got to the NHL Foundation.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.