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UPDATE, 17:48: Two days before the start of the 2021 NHL season, NBC Sports and longtime hockey analyst Mike Milbury have gone their separate ways. The news comes more than four months since he was suspended for “insensitive and insulting” remarks about women.
“We are grateful to Mike for all of his contributions to our coverage for 14 years,” NBC Sports said in a statement. “But he’s not coming back to our NHL announcement team. We wish him good luck.
Milbury, a former NHL player and coach long known for making controversial comments, made no immediate comment on his dismissal. He hasn’t tweeted in a week before his August 22 suspension from NBC Sports.
Milbury will be replaced on NBC Sports hockey shows by another fiery ex-coach, Mike Babcock.
The delayed and truncated 2021 NHL season will face Wednesday with a triple header on NBC Sports starting at 11:30 a.m. PT.
Jeremy Roenick ‘Very disappointed and angry’ after being fired from NBC Sports for sexual remarks about coworker
PREVIOUS, August 22: Former NHL player and coach Mike Milbury has been sidelined for the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs after commenting on the women Thursday night on the NBC Sports Network.
Mike Milbury, who works as an analyst for the network, was on the air at the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders game and spoke with co-host Brian Boucher about the success of the NHL bubble during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If you think about it, it’s a great environment as far as – if you like to play and like to be with your teammates for long stretches of time, it’s a perfect place,” said Boucher.
“Not even a woman here to disturb your concentration,” Milbury replied.
The comment was cut and shared on social media by a woman named Alison. So far, the footage has garnered 2.3 million views.
It’s 2020, and yet … 🤯 pic.twitter.com/d74TMlhkkP
– Alison (@AlisonL) Aug 21, 2020
On Saturday, NBC Sports PR released a statement from Milbury in which he said, “I have decided to step down from my role at NBC Sports for the rest of the StanleyCupPlayoffs.”
FROM MIKE MILBURY:
In light of the attention to my recent remark, I decided to step down from my role at NBC Sports for the rest of the StanleyCupPlayoffs. I don’t want my presence to interfere with the athletes trying to win the biggest trophy in sport.– NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) 22 Aug 2020
In a statement to The Washington Post, NBC Sports said it was “disappointed with Mike’s callous comment.” According to the post, Milbury apologized for the comment.
The NHL posted a statement on Twitter calling Milbury’s remark “insensitive and insulting.”
A statement from the National Hockey League. pic.twitter.com/YCOTcoaK5l
– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) Aug 21, 2020
Milbury has in the past made many erroneous remarks on sex, sexuality and sexual assault.
