Ryan Hartman ‘well worth it’ fine for flipping the bird to Evander Kane
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL has decided that Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman should be reprimanded for flipping the bird after a scrum with Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane.
Hartman was fined $4,250 by the league on Wednesday for unsportsmanlike conduct when he gave Kane the middle finger while being dragged away by the linesman. The incident occurred at the 9:15 mark of the third period, after Kane tried to get at Kirill Kaprizov.
While the fine is the maximum allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Hartman told reporters on Tuesday that any fine stemming from his action would be “well worth it.”
Hartman and Kane war of words
Hartman and Kane each received 10-minute misconducts and a roughing penalty for their actions in the third period. Kane also received a crosschecking minor following his hit on Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, a move that caught the attention of the remainder of the Minnesota players on the ice.
“He gave Kirill a shot from behind in a very vulnerable spot,” Hartman said of Kane. “It goes to show, we had five guys in there. They didn’t have one guy in there to help him.
“I don’t think any of their guys are going to defend him.”
Hartman, 27, scored two goals on Tuesday to boost his season total to a career-high 29 on the season. He also has set personal bests in both assists (27), points (56) and penalty minutes (81).
Meanwhile, Kane had his own take on the situation.
“It took all five guys and they couldn’t bring me down,” Kane scoffed. “I definitely would have liked to get loose, put it that way. These little guys, they wanna act tough. They wait for the linesmen to come in.”
The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild are unlikely to meet the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, but you could imagine what a series between these two teams may turn into.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report