Photo credit: Paula Pohjamo

Former Rangers defenceman ejected from Liiga game for racist behavior

BY COOPER GODIN SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 (2:37 PM)

Finland's top division, Liiga, recently dropped the puck on their 2023-24 season with excitement amongst each fan base with the hope their team will win the Jari Kurri Trophy as league champions.

On Friday, in a game between Lukko and KalPa, former New York Rangers defenceman Tarmo Reunanen found himself in some hot water and was ejected following what was called 'racist behavior'.

It's unclear at this time what was said, but Reunanen's team, Lukko, released a statement on their X account following the incident, condemning what their player did.

Note: the following quote is translated from Finnish

The jury gathers in a small meeting before the start and after the consultation, the shower command for Tarmo Reunanen in time 15:38.

The reason for the punishment is racist behavior."

"Rauma Lukko does not accept racism in any form.

It is in the interest of the entire Liiga community that inappropriate behavior stays away from the rink - that's why the ejection was completely justified. We trust and expect that the League's disciplinary delegation will deal with the case thoroughly."

There's no doubt that Liiga's disciplinary panel will be looking into the incident in the coming days and will present their findings once a thorough investigation is completed.

Reunanen, 25, was drafted by the Rangers in the fourth round back in 2016 and went on to appear in four NHL games with them during the 2020-21 season, before spending the rest of his time in North America in the AHL.

WHAT PUNISHMENT SHOULD REUNANEN RECEIVE, IF IT'S FOUND HE USED RACIAL LANGUAGE/RACIST BEHAVIOR? SEPTEMBER 22 89 ANSWERS
LENGTHY SUSPENSION (10-15 GAMES)	39	43.8 %
SEASON-LONG BAN	14	15.7 %
MULTI-YEAR BAN	2	2.2 %
SEE RESULTS	34	38.2 %
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