NHL referee Tim Peel was reportedly suspended one game by the league over a photo. (USATSI)

NHL referee Tim Peel has gained a form of infamy thanks to the widespread criticism of his officiating on the ice. However, it was Peel’s conduct away from the rink that caught the attention of the NHL and reportedly landed the veteran official a one-game suspension.

According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Peel was suspended one game after Greg Wyshynski, editor of Yahoo Sports’ Puck Daddy blog, tweeted a photo of he and Peel taking shots of tequila at a New York City bar Thursday night.

More from Johnston:

Peel had been scheduled to work a game between Pittsburgh and New Jersey at Prudential Center [Friday], but was quickly taken off the assignment. It amounted to a one-game suspension for the veteran official, according to a source, because Peel’s conduct was deemed to be inappropriate. A NHL spokesman said Tuesday morning that league policy prevented him from commenting on discipline given out to officials.

Peel had apparently called for the summit with Wyshynski, perhaps his harshest critic in print, to discuss many things. Wyshynski published a story recapping the meeting, which the Puck Daddy editor said was at Peel’s request to be on the record and to have the story published.

During the conversation, Peel admitted to some blown calls on the ice and why he had made them in the first place. It was actually a pretty refreshing and candid look at officiating from a ref that has come under harsh criticism for many of his decisions.

Referees are basically never heard from in the media, so to get those comments from an active official was illuminating. Perhaps that was part of what irked the league about Peel’s actions, though one can completely understand why the photo would have gotten under the league’s skin even more.

Peel’s suspension was short-lived as he was back on the ice to officiate Saturday’s game between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.

Peel has been an NHL referee since 1999. He has never worked a Stanley Cup Final, but was selected to officiate during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.