A junior hockey player was suspended for five games for calling an opponent a Mennonite and violating the league's rules on taunts.
The Ontario Hockey League announced that 20-year-old Landon Simm of the London Knights has been suspended for five games for “alienating” opponents for both “religious and cultural reasons.” .
The OHL is part of the Canadian Hockey League, which is comprised of several leagues across Canada (Western, Ontario, and Quebec) and is considered the top level of junior hockey in the world.
On November 6, Sim was sent off for a match violation for an infraction during a 5–1 win over Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound.
“He used the word 'Mennonite,'” said Mr. Sim's agent, Andrew Maloney. london free press. “He was insulted by a player on the other team. It was just a routine banter. Landon used that word against him. I think he just said it without any knowledge behind it.” ” the agent added.
Maloney also called Sim's comments “wrong and inappropriate” and called them a teachable moment among commonplaces.
“Race, age, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability,” the OHL commissioner told media in London, Ont.
“This is a violation of the league's code of conduct and carries a minimum suspension of five games,” OHL Commissioner Brian Crawford said in a statement.
Rather than defending his client on the basis of free speech, Sim's representatives argued that there should be “tiers” in the type of discipline players receive depending on the language they use.
“A player called a kid a monkey and got the same number of matches (as Sim). Last season, a player told a kid to kill himself and got the same number of matches. There are many layers to this rule. “It's not a bad rule, but it doesn't work if you interpret it in one-size-fits-all categories,” Maloney tried to explain.
Landon Sim was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.Photo credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
In fact, this is Sim's second mean-language-related suspension in 2024.
In May, Sims 5 game suspension for calling then-Saginaw Spirit captain Braden Haish “soft” in an insinuating manner.
Former OHL commissioner David Branch said at the time that the league was apparently too afraid to identify what was said, but called it an “inappropriate comment based on our diversity program.” said.
In response, Sim's representative argued at the time that there is “no due process in the league.”
All OHL players and staff reportedly receive mandatory training on diversity policies before each season.
Sim was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and scored eight points in the first 10 games of the 2024-2025 OHL season.
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