NHL Releases Statement Condemning Mike Milbury's Insensitive Comments on Women

The NHL condemned analyst Mike Milbury following his sexist remarks during Thursday's NHL on NBC broadcast. 

"The National Hockey League condemns the insensitive and insulting comment that Mike Milbury made during last night's broadcast and we have communicated our feelings to NBC," the league said in a statement. "The comment did not reflect the NHL's values and commitment to making our game more inclusive and welcoming to all."

Jordan Heck of Sporting News noted Milbury said there are no women inside the league's bubble to distract players when co-host John Forslund was discussing the NHL's setup to resume its season following a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forslund was praising the bubble environment, calling it a "perfect place" for those who "enjoy playing and enjoy being with your teammates" when Milbury added, "not even any women here to disrupt your concentration."

Hemal Jhaveri of USA Today pointed out Milbury has made a number of controversial statements during these playoffs that are still only in the first round:

"This isn't even the first time this playoffs that Milbury has pushed tiresome narratives around the sport. He lambasted Tuukka Rask for leaving the Boston Bruins to be with his family, he offhandedly thought Jake Muzzin might be staying down longer just for a whistle, before a stretcher was brought out to take him off the ice and when talking about the empty arenas in the NHL bubble, he compared them to beer leagues or 'NCAA women’s hockey.'"

Milbury played for the Boston Bruins from the 1975-76 season through the 1986-87 season.

He also coached the Bruins and New York Islanders for six seasons following his playing career.