San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn fined $25,000 for ‘conduct demeaning the officials’

The National Hockey League has fined San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn $25,000 for “conduct demeaning the officials” during the third period of the Sharks’ 8–3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Mar. 4.

Quinn was assessed a game misconduct shortly after Sharks forward Kevin Labanc was called for a clipping penalty against Capitals defenseman Vincent Iorio. The head coach shouted what appeared to be obscenities at referee Gord Dwyer in protest of the call, resulting in his ejection from the game.

The incident occurred with the Sharks trailing 4–2 at the 5:45 mark of the third period of the game, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose.

In his post-game media availability, Quinn apologized for his conduct and said he felt “embarrassed” about the incident.

“I’m embarrassed, I shouldn’t have acted like that as a coach,” Quinn said. “I want to apologize to our team. That’s not how I necessarily want to act. It’s an emotional game and these refs work hard, they do a good job. It’s something that should never happen.”

The $25,000 forfeited by Quinn will go to the NHL Foundation. Quinn has coached two Sharks games since the incident: a 3–2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday and a 6–0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

Quinn, 56, is currently in his first season as Sharks head coach. Under his leadership, San Jose has posted a 19–34–12 record — good for eighth place in the Pacific Division — through 65 games this season.