Mario Lemieux may not be fined for calling out Isles, NHL

No one in the NHL office is speaking up about Lemieux's harsh statement from Sunday, but a source reports that there may not be a fine forthcoming from commissioner Gary Bettman's office.

Kings general manager Dean Lombardi was fined $50,000 for his rash comments directed at NHL hockey operations exec Mike Murphy on Jan. 20. After a video review went against Los Angeles -- Murphy runs the league's review "war room" -- Lombardi lashed out, saying he felt Murphy held an anti-Kings bias after being passed over for the GM job there in favor of Lombardi.

That was a specific accusation against a member of hockey operations and could not be tolerated by the league. Lemieux's angry statement was an overall indictment of the league, his own opinion, and therefore may not be subject to a penalty.

This is not a similar situation to Mark Cuban being fined by the NBA for ripping the officiating on Twitter or Titans owner Bud Adams being fined $250,000 by the NFL for a crude gesture to fans.

I'd guess Lemieux and Bettman will have a private conversation about Lemieux's remarks, but don't expect a fine.