NHL Investigates Maple Leafs for Tampering
July 7, 2009 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under NHL, News, Players, Toronto Maple Leafs
The Sedin twins have re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks with identical five year contracts worth $6.1 million per season but the drama surrounding the uncertainty of their status before the July 1 free-agent deadline. 
According to the Globe and Mail, the NHL is investigating some comments that Toronto Maple Leafs coach, Ron Wilson, made in reference to the team’s interest in signing Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
On June 31st, Wilson said (on the Fan 590): “You’re hearing right now, and this sounds very contradictory but, there’s a real possibility, I would think, that we would be going after the Sedins. Let’s just speculate there.”
Apparently, “an unnamed NHL executive remarked that what Wilson said was a ‘clear-cut case of tampering.’” The Canucks haven’t filed a tampering complaint and the league won’t confirm the reports but NHL bylaw No. 15 states that tampering is, “the making or causing to be made through any medium, public or private, any statement indicating any intention or desire of or interest in acquiring the services [of a player on another club].” If you go by that, Wilson really is in violation of this rule.
Of course, complicating matters is the fact that Toronto GM, Brian Burke, happened to be in Sweden at the time and many assumed that he was there to woo the Sedin brothers. Naturally, the club has an explanation for his trip and said that he was there to talk to Swedish free-gent goalie Jonas Gustavsson.
I know some people don’t think it’s worth wasting time and money on investigating this issue but I think that they need to send a message that this isn’t acceptable. Otherwise, we’re going to start seeing coaches and players sending out messages through the media more and more.
image: TSN
