A player from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League has been suspended after he called an opposing player a 'Mennonite.'
The London Free Press reports that 20-year-old Landon Sim was ejected from a game on Nov. 6 against the Sault Ste. Marie.
The league says that Sim violated the league's code of conduct by making a statement that was "intended to provoke an opposing player that was marginalizing on both religious and cultural grounds."
Sim's agent, Andrew Maloney, told The London Free Press, "He used the word 'Mennonite. He was insulted by a player on the other team, just regular back and forth bater. Landon used the word toward him. I think it was just something he said without knowledge behind it."
Maloney says while the statement was "wrong and inappropriate" he also believes "It's a teachable moment and something he's not going to repeat now that he's totally aware of it."
Five games is the minimum suspension for a violation of the code of conduct in the OHL.
Sim was also suspended last season, causing him to miss the OHL finals, for calling an opposing player a derogatory term.
There are an estimated 59,000 Mennonites in Ontario according to the University of Waterloo.
Of that group, about 20 per cent are members of conservative groups such as Old Order Mennonites, and Old Colony Mennonites.
Sim was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues.