Barzal Fined For Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Laugh it Off

On Monday, New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night.

Don’t worry. Most people missed the horrific act by Mathew Barzal on Mitch Marner, a vicious hold that could have led to a rather serious injury.

#Isles Mathew Barzal fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct vs Toronto pic.twitter.com/1QXgBskpaP

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 18, 2022

Nope, that is the correct replay. You did not miss a thing.

Understandably so, Mathew Barzal should not have done that. It seemed like a harmless play, and when the puck made its way up the ice, Barzal loosened his grip, and Marner broke free.

If it were a game that mattered for either party, more attention would have been drawn to it, whether it was Marner who lashed back or someone from the Toronto bench.

After the game, Mitch Marner, who’s known Mat Barzal for a long time, said it was a funny moment and joked (we think) that he hoped Barzal got fined.

"Hopefully he gets fined for that, that would be great." 😂

– Mitch Marner on Matt Barzal holding his jersey on the bench. pic.twitter.com/7ngAJkzb55

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) April 18, 2022

Well, NHL Player Safety did not take it as a joke and decided to fine Mat Barzal, the third financial penalty of his NHL career. In April of 2021, Barzal was fined $2,000 for diving and then was fined $5,000 for cross-checking Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jan Ruuta in Game 5 of the 2021 Semi-Finals.

Barzal’s fine wasn’t the funniest fine of the season, let alone the most comical over the last seven days.

Five days ago, Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was fined $4,250 for unsportsmanlike conduct against Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers, as he gave him the bird after an altercation.

Ryan Hartman has a meeting with @NHLPlayerSafety for flipping the bird pic.twitter.com/LsNJrgpW2g

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 13, 2022

Again, understandably a fine given the fact that you cannot do that on live television. But the Minnesota Wild fan base, including Evander Kane’s ex-wife, sent Hartman money to cover the fine.

Wow….overwhelmed by the amount of donations I have received to help pay for my fine. You fans are amazing. I will be paying for it with my own money, but wanted to let everyone know that any money sent to me by 7 pm on Friday will be donated to Children’s Minnesota.

— Ryan Hartman (@RHartzy18) April 14, 2022

In total, Hartman raised over $35,000.

The funniest fine of the season might have come from a game against the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins in late November, when New York Rangers Artemi Panarin threw his glove at Boston Bruins Brad Marchand, leading to a $5,000 fine.

From the bench, Artemiy Panarin throws his glove at Brad Marchand #NYR pic.twitter.com/bQCkC7iI0F

— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) November 26, 2021

The problem with NHL Player Safety is the fact that they have been consistent with fining players for the littlest of things this season. But they have been inconsistent with punishments for the illegal, dangerous hits that we are trying to keep out of the game.