Former NHL head coach Marc Crawford now faces an investigation from Swiss hockey authorities after being caught on camera directing a homophobic slur at an official during a game.
The incident occurred during Wednesday’s Switzerland-based National League matchup between Biel and ZSC Lions, where Crawford is currently in his second tenure as head coach.
With Biel ahead in the waning seconds of the game, Crawford launched into a tirade directed at referee Mikki Kaukokari that quickly turned homophobic in nature with broadcast cameras focused on him.
The clip clearly shows him call Kaukokari a “cocksucker.”
Following the game, National League CEO and Hockey Europe President Denis Vaucher told Blick that he saw Crawford’s offensive language as he watched the broadcast and initiated an investigation into his actions.
“Marc Crawford crossed a red line with these discriminatory remarks,” Vaucher said.
Neither Crawford or ZSC Lions have commented publicly on the incident.
Wednesday’s discriminatory rant is another entry in a long history of unsavory behavior attributed to Crawford during his coaching career. Multiple NHL players who played on teams coached by Crawford, including Sean Avery and Patrick O’Sullivan, alleged that he was physically and verbally abusive toward a number of his players.
Crawford also faced blowback in 2004 for allegedly laughing on the bench as the Colorado Avalanche’s Steve Moore suffered three broken vertebrae and a broken jaw as a result of a blindside hit by Vancouver Canucks defensemen Todd Bertuzzi.
