A Victoria-area high school teacher has been reprimanded for calling in sick when he was actually away watching a Stanley Cup playoff game in Los Angeles.

According to the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch, Ryan Michael Hazelton completed an application for leave without pay for three days in June 2012 so he could make "an emergency trip to Vancouver to be with a terminally ill family member."

In fact, he was watching the L.A. Kings face the New Jersey Devils in game four of what turned out to be a six-game series.

The matter came to light when officials at Mount Douglas Secondary School in Saanich tried to courier a package to Hazelton while he was away.

On June 6 and 7, the principal of the school left a message for Hazelton at his home number to call him to arrange delivery of the package, according to consent agreement on the branch website.

Compounding matters, during Hazelton's absence, students used his fob key to access the school to carry out a "grad prank."

"Hazelton had left his FOB keys unsecured in his desk when he knew that students were aware that he kept his keys there," the agreement read.

"He did so after a conversation with a student who had asked about accessing the school after-hours for the purpose of carrying out a grad prank and Hazelton told him ways that the school could be accessed after-hours."

Shortly after the incident, the school district suspended Hazelton for five days without pay. In addition to a reprimand, he has also now been ordered to complete a one-day workshop on professionalism and boundaries.