While still navigating the latest of the many suspensions the NHL has given him, Minnesota Wild’s forward Ryan Hartman addressed the media and offered reporters his thoughts on it on Tuesday, April 2.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on April 1 that Hartman had been suspended for three games, including Tuesday’s against the Senators that ended in a Wild 3-2 win, as documented by Heavy’s Emma Lingan.
“There’s no place for something like that,” Hartman told reporters on Tuesday.
According to the NHL, Hartman was “verbally berating the officials in an inappropriate manner.” That, along with Hartman’s track record of suspensions (he’s considered a repeat offender as he has been suspended twice in the last two years), led to the lengthy three-game ban.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been putting our team behind the eight ball by taking frustrations out. I don’t think that’s really an issue,” Hartman said. “Can you say being out three games is hurting the team? Maybe. But that’s out of my hands.
“Obviously it was my doing, but it was kind of in the [NHL Department of Player Safety’s] hands.”
Ryan Hartman Acknowledged His Wrongdoing But Doubts NHL Decision
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Hartman revealed that he was “planning on banging the stick on the boards,” and that his action “just came out of pure frustration.”
Before throwing the stick to the ice and getting onto the bench, replays showed Hartman getting hit in the face by Vegas Golden Knights player Noah Hanifin.
“I wasn’t directing it toward any official or player. It’s not something I’ve ever done or will ever do,” Hartman stated. “I do respect [the referees].
“Their job is tough, the game is fast,” Hartman reasoned. “In the moment, there was a lot of adrenaline and a lot of frustration.”
Hartman was suspended without pay for unsportsmanlike conduct. As researched by Heavy’s Emma Lingan, “Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, repeat offenders lose salary based on number of games in a season (82) versus days.
“With his $1.7 million annual salary, Hartman will lose $62,195.13 for this suspension. He has now lost nearly $104,000 in salary this season due to his two suspensions.”
Minnesota Pulled the Goalie in an OT Loss, Didn’t Earn Points Against Vegas
Not only did the Wild lose Hartman for three games, but more damagingly the team lost the matchup that earned Hartman his three-game suspension last weekend.
The Wild, who had successfully removed their goalie to win a game in overtime on March 10, tried to pull off the same strategy against Vegas on March 30. It didn’t work this time.
Wild’s forward Mats Zuccarello got a shot blocked by Vegas’ netminder Logan Thompson. Thompson fed the puck to William Karlsson who assisted Jonathan Marchessault for the game-winning goal.
According to NHL Rule 84.2: “Should that team (the one pulling the goalie) lose the game during the time in which the goalkeeper has been removed, it would forfeit the automatic point gained in the tie at the end of regulation play.”
Although Minnesota rebounded nicely with a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the truth is that they only have a tiny chance of making the playoffs this season. According to MoneyPuck, the Wild hold 4.3% odds of clinching a postseason berth.
The Wild have 81 points in 74 games played but they sit behind the St. Louis Blues (84 points in 75 games) and the Los Angeles Kings (87 points in 74 games) in the wild-card race, with the latter in possession of the second WC berth entering April 3.
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This article was originally published on Heavy.com
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