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Joel Quenneville fined $25,000 for Michael Jackson impression during Game 1 tirade

Joel Quenneville fined $25,000 for Michael Jackson impression during Game 1 tirade

The NHL announced a $25,000 fine to Joel Quenneville for "inappropriate conduct" Friday, after his double overtime tirade against the officials Thursday night ended in a crotch grab that would have made Michael Jackson proud.

Quenneville had already apologized for the gesture. "It was a bush-league move on my part," he said earlier in the day.

Now, we don't know about bush-league. It seemed just a little lower than that.

Still. He wasn't happy with it, and neither was the league, who would prefer their coaches not do this.

The Internet, on the other hand, loved it. Loved it. On Friday, Joel Quenneville was everywhere.

Pete Blackburn had a ton of fun with it, noting that pointing that dramatic is better suited for John Travolta feature films than the NHL playoffs. Something tells me we'll be seeing a lot of this GIF in the playoffs, especially if the Blackhawks win an elimination game to stay alive, as it were.

Thank goodness Game 2 goes Saturday during the day. That gives Quenneville plenty of time to get to a postgame dancefloor before Saturday night fever sets in.

Anyway, while the pointing was Travoltian, the crotch grab brought another pop culture icon to mind:

No, not the bear. The late Michael Jackson.

My only regret with this GIF is that it isn't accompanied by music.

Fortunately, these two Youtube videos are. There's no doubting that what Quenneville did was bad. But now it's "Bad" bad.

It's the whip sound effects that make this one special.

To my mind, though, nothing tops the brilliant (and brilliantly named) "Smooth Queminal":

Who knew Joel Quenneville was such an amazing dancer?

Actually, scratch that. Anybody who saw this GIF from the Blackhawks' Cup win knew full well that he could move.

Look at him work those hips. More dancing Quenneville gifs, please.