Elliotte Friedman shares new details on ex-Capitals coach Mitch Love’s firing after domestic abuse allegation

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman provided new details surrounding former Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love’s firing. Love was fired on Sunday after the league had initiially suspended him amid allegations of domestic abuse. Love had joined Washington in 2023 after coaching in the AHL and WHL.

On Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Friedman discussed how the situation unfolded and shared what he learned about the NHL’s handling of the case.

"One of the things I understood was when the commissioner made his ruling, he indicated that his ruling was final and there was no place for appeal," Friedman said on Monday.

He added that Mitch Love does not have the option to appeal the suspension within the league.

"So at least in NHL circles, love does not have grounds for an appeal here. So I just don't know if this is the last we've heard of this, or if he goes outside and try something legal to defend himself," Friedman explained.

"This story kind of came out of nowhere," he added. "Love was in negotiations for one of the open jobs this past summer when contact was made with both the league and one of the teams involved."

He mentioned that investigators then began to gather the facts to understand what had happened. He shared that Sportsnet also looked into the story earlier but decided not to report on it at the time.

"We looked into this last summer at Sportsnet, myself and a couple of other people, and we were just never comfortable with the information to write about it or report on it,” Friedman said.

Mitch Love denies allegations in first statement after Capitals firing

On Monday, Mitch Love addressed the situation publicly for the first time. He said he disagreed with the ruling but respected the process.

"While I am disappointed by and disagree with the NHL's decision, I respect the process and accept both the league's findings and the Capitals' decision," he said in a statement to the Washington Post.

"I will continue to openly cooperate throughout this process. That said, I fully deny the allegations against me and look forward to returning to the sport I love as soon as possible."

The investigation began in June after the alleged victim contacted the NHL and the teams Mitch Love had spoken with during the offseason. It concluded this month with the NHL suspending Love, although it did not disclose the findings of its investigation.