Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Wednesday the league will speak with Panther goaltender about his ongoing refusal to be interviewed by the South Florida media.

Belfour has declined all interview requests since it was reported in three South Florida papers that he was involved in an incident on Long Island that resulted in backup goaltender Alex Auld receiving an unspecified number of stitches. Belfour said the injury resulted from horseplay in the lobby of the team hotel and insisted that “no alcohol was involved whatsoever.”

Belfour was apparently upset at the media reports and hasn’t spoken to the team’s beat writers since. While those same writers can handle an athlete who turns down all interview requests, what has upset us is that Belfour has spoken to other media outlets, such as twice after games against Toronto, and a Dallas paper this week when he took part in the celebration of the 1999 Stanley Cup championship team.

The issue was raised at a meeting Wednesday of the Professional Hockey Writers Association by an Edmonton writer, who was also snubbed by Belfour after the Panthers-Oilers game earlier this month. Daly, who answered questions at the end of the meeting, said he was not aware of the situation and would look into it. It’s conceivable Belfour could face fines if he doesn’t change his behavior, as the new Collective Bargaining Agreement requires players to speak to the media when requested.