It was announced this afternoon that Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended for three games for unsportsmanlike conduct. The event in question occurred at the end of the game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Hartman will miss the rest of the Wild’s homestand and will also lose close to $63k of his salary.
During a game that was pivotal to the Wild’s push to get a wild card spot for the playoffs, Hartman was high-sticked in full view of a nearby official. When the call did not come, the Wild started overtime with the usual three-on-three instead of the power play that Hartman and fans thought they should’ve had. That advantage could’ve led to a win for the Wild, giving them two incredibly valuable points in the standings. Instead, coach John Hynes pulled the goalie at the end of overtime. Unlike the last time when it worked, this time the Knights scored an empty net goal and the Wild lost the one point they had gained for the standings.
Hartman exited the ice once the game ended, but came back to the bench. He tossed his stick into the middle of the ice. While it was obvious that he was not looking to injure the officials, who were nowhere near there at the time, it was still an unprofessional way to express his anger. As he threw the stick, he was verbally berating the officials. He has a history of fines and suspensions for various reasons. Those contributed to him being sentenced to a three-game suspension.
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