Ryan Hartman suspended by NHL Player Safety
A bit stiff for throwing a stick!?!?
HockeyFeed
This just in, NHL Player Safety has suspended Minnesota Wild forward three games for 'unsportsmanlike conduct.'
Hartman was assessed a misconduct after throwing a stick onto the ice following Minnesota's OT loss to the Vegas Golden Knights this past weekend.
From NHL Player Safety:
Three games for a hissy fit that didn't cost anyone any injury? C'mon now...
Listen to this from NHL Player Safety:
Throwing equipment is dangerous and can result in injury to unsuspecting players and officials. This is unsportsmanlike conduct. Hartman's choice to throw his stick onto the ice was intentional, deliberate and solely due to frustration.
- NHL Player Safety
Come on... how soft can you be?
If this earned Hartman a 3 game suspension I can only imagine what he would have received if he decided to slam his stick against the boards before tossing it onto the ice? Maybe life in jail? We'll never know...
Read below for our earlier report on this developing story.
The National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety has confirmed the bad news for Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman.
Earlier today I brought you a report that strongly suggested Hartman would be facing a suspension from the disciplinary arm of the league, and now the Department of Player Safety has all but confirmed that news. In an official announcement, the league has announced that Hartman will have a hearing tomorrow for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Although this is indeed bad news for Hartman and the Wild there may be a silver lining here for both parties. As I mentioned in my initial article on this story, Hartman was facing a minimum suspension of 3 games under NHL rule 40.4 for abuse of an official, however the NHL does not appear to be enforcing that rule here.
Instead Hartman is being punished under the "unsportsmanlike conduct" rule, which suggests to me that the NHL will likely seek to suspend him for less than the 3 games that would have been mandatory under the abuse of an official rule. That is of course only speculation on my part.
