The Ontario Hockey League suspended referee Joe Monette from officiating league games for the balance of the 2012-13 season and the playoffs because of derogatory comments he made about Sault Ste. Marie on his Twitter account.

The suspension is a result of a comment Monette made on Twitter (@monzy25) Friday after refereeing a game between the Soo Greyhounds and the Windsor Spitfires, "Soo Saint Marie, two words, Slim Pickens. #noteeth #hick-town #allfaties."

The OHL began an investigation into the matter and league commissioner David Branch handed down the suspension Wednesday.

"Mr. Monette displayed extremely poor judgment and the tweet not only contravened the league's social networking policy, but as well was detrimental to the welfare of the league, the officiating staff and fans of the OHL," Branch said.

"The league apologizes to those that may have been offended by such comments."

Monette, 25, of Windsor, Ont., declined to comment about the suspension, but did issue an apology earlier.