Former NHLer Dustin Penner is in some hot water after a stream of insensitive tweets. (USATSI)
Former NHLer Dustin Penner is in some hot water after a stream of insensitive tweets. (USATSI)

NHL free agent Dustin Penner was slated to be part of TSN's TradeCentre program as part of the Canadian network's NHL trade deadline coverage Monday. However, TSN confirmed Sunday that the former Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks forward is no longer slated on the air.

Though the network did not give a reason for Penner being pulled from the broadcast lineup that is expected to include more than 30 talking heads, it is believed that it was Penner's ill-advised attempt at humor on Twitter on Saturday that did him in.

UPDATE: Penner says that he pulled himself from the broadcast, with TSN agreeing with his decision. He said he did it because of the position he put them in with his tweets.

Making light of rape in a public forum such as Twitter (or anywhere else) is beyond insensitive. Doing something like that is asking for backlash, and it came swiftly. Penner was put on blast and engaged by many Twitter uses for his attempt at humor. As of 11:20 a.m. ET on Sunday, the tweet had not been deleted, nor have the subsequent tweets in defense of the joke.

"I came up with the joke with my gf U idiots freaking out about this," he tweeted next.

Later, Penner tweeted a strange half-apology that turned out to not be an apology at all, really.

This all led to a long stream of tweets to TSN's primary account from various Twitter users requesting that Penner be pulled from the broadcast for his insensitive jokes. It appears TSN listened. He is no longer listed on the lengthy roster of panelists.

Penner was slated to have a special segment with TSN personality Cabral "Cabbie" Richards to provide a different take on the trade deadline during Monday's broadcast. The 32-year-old winger was traded near the deadline just last season when the Ducks shipped him to the Washington Capitals. 

After going unsigned in the offseason, Penner has not retired and is still eligible to be picked up as an unrestricted free agent. You would have to think if it was going to happen at all this season, it already would have, though.

UPDATE: Penner apologized for his insensitive tweets Sunday afternoon