Ziegler Won’t Discuss Whereabouts : He Says NHL Followed Rules in Handling Sunday Dispute

NEW YORK â€”  The beleaguered John Ziegler, president of the National Hockey League, said Thursday that just because he was out of sight during Sunday’s Stanley Cup game did not mean the situation was out of control.

“If you think my particular whereabouts transcend all the other things that went on that day, you’re incorrect,� Ziegler said. “The perception may be that, had I been on hand, things would have been handled differently. But that’s not the fact.�

Ziegler discussed the situation in a meeting in his offices with nine sports editors who make up an Associated Press sports editors committee that was here to meet with pro sports’ top officials. The meeting had been scheduled weeks before Sunday’s playoff game between the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins. The start of that game was delayed for more than an hour when New Jersey officials acquired an injunction allowing Coach Jim Schoenfeld to be behind the bench and the game officials then refused to take the ice.

Schoenfeld had been suspended for Game 4 because of an off-the-ice altercation with referee Don Koharski after the previous game. But the New Jersey injunction reversed that and infuriated Sunday’s officials.

In the midst of all this, Ziegler, the NHL’s top executive officer, was nowhere to be found. And, somewhat surprisingly, NHL officials openly admitted that fact, telling members of the media that they couldn’t find Ziegler and had no idea where he was.

That left the bulk of the on-site decision-making and front-man status to Brian O’Neill, the league’s executive vice president. It also seemed to leave Ziegler with egg on his face.

Earlier in the week, Ziegler met the press and said he had been away “for personal reasons� but would say no more.

The comment sparked speculation that ranged from the bizarre to the comical. The Toronto Star speculated that Ziegler had gone somewhere to rescue his two sons from some sort of cult. Columnist Joe Gergen of Newsday speculated, tongue in check, that Ziegler had been one of the guys in the washroom in Texas with Billy Martin. Nobody would want to admit to that, Gergen reasoned.

By Thursday, when he met with the APSE panel, Ziegler--while still not saying where he was--seemed able to laugh about it. When informed of Gergen’s scenario, he roared with delight.

He also, for the first time, elaborated at great length on Sunday’s situation.

“It was just a very unfortunate, very embarrassing day,� he said. “For New Jersey to obtain a court order is unprecedented. I consider that a grievous mistake on their part. And then, you have a wildcat strike (by the game officials); well, there is never much good that comes out of a wildcat strike.�

Ziegler said that despite what happened, the league mechanisms were in place to handle whatever matters came up.

“This is not the first time I’ve had personal reasons to go away on a weekend,� he said. “Before I went, I called Bill Wirtz, chairman of our board of governors, and told him I’d be gone. I asked him what his plans were, and he said that I should go ahead, that he was going to be home, doing his duty on Mother’s Day and available for anything that might come up.

“Our officers knew that, knew to go to Wirtz on something like this. This is all according to plan. And when the New Jersey thing happened, Wirtz and Brian O’Neill were on the phone talking this over.�

Ziegler said that the start of the game was not so much delayed by the injunction as by the game officials’ reaction to it.

“A good portion of the delay was spent trying to persuade the officials to work,� Ziegler said. “They were saying we had to order Schoenfeld off the bench. We were reminding them that there was a court order, that we were not above the law. But they just didn’t see it that way.�

So, Ziegler said, the next step, once an impasse was reached with game officials, was to simply follow league procedures.

“Our rules say, in that case, the first thing we do is find substitute officials, which we did,� Ziegler said.

Ziegler also said that the decision made by O’Neill suspending Schoenfeld for the Sunday game and sparking charges by New Jersey that there was no due process, was also well-reasoned and in accordance with NHL procedure.

“Our rule for players, “ Ziegler said, “is as follows: First, any deliberate touching of an official is an automatic 21-game suspension. Second, any reckless touching of an official is an automatic 10-game, or more, up to 21. Third, any physically demeaning conduct against an official is an automatic 3 games or more, up to 10.

“Now, there is no question in my mind that there was physically demeaning action by Schoenfeld toward the official. And Brian O’Neill came to the same conclusion. He had to make a quick decision. And after he heard live testimony, he concluded that Schoenfeld’s action was physically demeaning. So he issued a one-game interim suspension, pending further review. And, contrary to what has been said, he did talk to Schoenfeld by telephone.�

Ziegler admitted that NHL guidelines for sanctions for physically demeaning behavior toward an official are for players.

“The rule was made to protect the officials,� Ziegler said, “so it should be logically applicable to coaches.�

Ziegler seemed to point to the New Jersey Devils as a bigger culprit in this than the game officials, who refused to work.

“What started the messy stuff was the New Jersey injunction,� he said. “In doing that, they basically said we didn’t follow our own rules.�