The Winnipeg NHLer at the centre of a social media group chat that degraded women has been released by his team. Read More
NHL Caps release Leipsic after woman-bashing chat goes public — Winnipeg Sun
The Winnipeg NHLer at the centre of a social media group chat that degraded women has been released by his team.
Brendan Leipsic played 61 games for the Washington Capitals this past season, but this week became embroiled in a firestorm of controversy which came to a head on Friday morning.
“The Washington Capitals have placed Brendan Leipsic on unconditional waivers for purposes of terminating his contract,” the NHL team said in a statement.
The move comes after the Capitals and NHL on Wednesday denounced the actions of players involved in an Instagram group chat that defiled and mocked women, referred to their conquests as “kills,” made fun of their shapes and boasted of Leipsic’s use of cocaine.
“There is no place in our league for such statements, attitudes and behaviour, no matter the forum,” the NHL had said.
The chat, which dated back several months and was intended to be private, was made public by an anonymous Instagram user who wanted the women made aware of the misogynists involved in it.
The chat included several products of the Winnipeg minor hockey system, including Jack Rodewald, who played for Florida’s AHL team this past season, and Leipsic’s brother, Jeremey.
Jeremey Leipsic, 23, was released from the University of Manitoba Bisons hockey team on Thursday.
Two of the women targetted in the chat told the Winnipeg Sun of the humiliation they faced when it became public.
“It’s very heartbreaking to see,” Winnipeg’s Chloe Giesbrecht, 24, said. “You see hockey on TV… (players) signing hockey sticks and taking photos, but what are they doing behind all of that? They’re supposed to be role models, and this is the exact opposite. The exact opposite of what you would want your son to be like.
“If people keep practising that, this is just going to be a continuous cycle of these group chats and this misogynistic hockey culture.”
Another woman who didn’t want her name used said even if the players lost their jobs, it wouldn’t make her feel any better.
“It’s not banter. It’s not funny. It’s harmful,” she said. “And there are people who won’t take this well and it will have lasting psychological consequences. Some women got really attacked in there.”
Brendan Leipsic, 25, was in his third full season in the NHL. He’d already been traded twice, put on waivers and left unprotected in the Las Vegas expansion draft.
Drafted by Nashville in the third round in 2012, he was traded to Toronto in 2015, claimed by the Golden Knights in 2017, traded to Vancouver in 2018 and claimed off waivers by the L.A. Kings the same year.
Washington signed him last summer to a one-year deal worth $700,000.0
The view from left field 