Maple Leafs suspend Sparks indefinitely
Garret Sparks was suspended by the Toronto Maple Leafs for violating team policy, the AHL's Toronto Marlies confirmed to The Canadian Press on Saturday.
The organization would not confirm the length of the suspension, nor the reason for it, but Sparks did use violent, sexist language in a Facebook thread earlier in the week.
Not a good look for Garret Sparks. pic.twitter.com/UYL7alZnz4
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) November 22, 2016
“(Garret) was sent home for some team-policy reasons when we were on the road trip there (in New York),” Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe told TSN's Kristen Shilton after Saturday’s win over the Utica Comets.
“I’m familiar with the circumstances, but we’re not going to comment any further from there. Management handled the situation.”
Sparks didn't dress for the Marlies on Friday or Saturday.
The online comments apparently came in a Facebook group created for goaltenders for which Sparks is an administrator, and the 23-year-old lashed out at one of the users for mocking a disabled person.
Keefe didn't have a timetable for when Sparks would be welcomed back, but told Shilton that the netminder's status would be reevaluated in the coming week.
Sparks has been limited to four games for the Marlies this season due to injury. He appeared in 17 contests with the Maple Leafs in 2015-16.