NEW YORK — Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended three games for throwing a stick on the ice from the bench after a game last weekend, the second time he has received supplemental discipline this season and the third over the past year.
The NHL’s department of player safety announced the ban for unsportsmanlike conduct after a hearing with Hartman on Monday. The league, in a video explaining the suspension, said Hartman also verbally berated the officials around launching the stick following Minnesota’s overtime loss to Vegas on Saturday night and called his actions “intentional, deliberate and solely due to frustration.”
Officials agreed with Hartman that he wasn't trying to hurt anyone but said the 29-year-old even acknowledged throwing the stick was unprofessional and unacceptable.
It’s Hartman’s fourth suspension since making his debut in 2015, and he has also been fined seven times. He got two games for tripping in late November and was suspended for Minnesota's regular-season finale in April 2023.
As a repeat offender, according to the collective bargaining agreement, by being suspended within the past two years, Hartman will forfeit $62,195 in salary.
The Golden Knights won Saturday's 2-1 game after scoring on an empty Minnesota net in overtime.
The 29-year-old winger has 19 goals and 42 points in 68 games this season for Minnesota.
The Wild are scheduled to play their next three games on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche and Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.
Minnesota holds a 35-28-10 record, and sits seven points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
— With files from Sportsnet
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.