The NHL has handed down a lofty 41-game suspension to Ottawa Senators star Shane Pinto, the league announced Thursday.
In a statement posted by the NHL Public Relations X account, the league announced that Pinto has been suspended for sports gambling, though they didn’t find any evidence that he placed bets on NHL games.
The 22-year-old Pinto remains an RFA as he and the Senators continue to work on a contract extension. Pinto is coming off a career year for the Sens in which he tallied 20 goals and 15 assists in 82 games.
With limited cap space and the need to clear out an extra roster spot, the Senators’ negotiations with Pinto have dragged on longer than expected. His 41-game suspension only makes contract talks more difficult on both sides.
Professional sports leagues have strict policies that disallow their players from gambling. NFL star wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season after the league found out that he was gambling on games.
Over the past two years, 10 NFLers have been suspended for gambling. Ridley, Detroit Lions sophomore wideout Jameson Williams and Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere were among the notable players suspended for betting violations.
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MLB icon Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life in 1989 for gambling on games during his tenure as a player and manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Rose has worked tirelessly to be pardoned with the hope of being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but to no avail.
