NHL Player Safety has handed out three unsportsmanlike conduct fines for actions taken by Kevin Hayes, Alex Killorn, and Steven Stamkos during yesterday’s Tampa Bay Lightning game against the New York Rangers. Expensive game, even for an ice-level view of the action: these three players will each pony up $5,000 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn and Kevin Hayes each fined $5,000 by #NHL for unsportsmanlike conduct in last night’s NYR/TBL game.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 3, 2017
Hayes and Killorn had their altercation at three minutes into the third period of yesterday’s game. Perhaps it was frustration because the score was a deadlocked 1-1, or perhaps it was because the Rangers had yet to win a game on the road, but Kevin Hayes, an old friend of Alex Killorn from the BC-Harvard rivalry days, decided to give Killorn a bit of a germ shower.
Killorn retaliated by prodding Hayes with his stick, which Blue Shirt Banter considered a very dangerous stick prodding. Eventual overtime winner J.T. Miller got up in Killorn’s business with a cross-check to his chest immediately afterwards. JT Brown also did not care for the Rangers’ actions and engaged in a short bout with Steve Kampfer. Despite the two trying to knock each other unconscious with repeated blows to the head, they did not get fined.
Slightly later on, Stamkos got in on the water bottle shower craze by sending a few droplets the Rangers’ way. While he did not hit any Rangers, MSG’s John Giannone, stationed between the benches, did get a little water on his suit.
Who did it better? Hank on Crosby or Stamkos? #NYR #NYRvsTBL pic.twitter.com/NaiikSmjak
— Blue Line Station (@BlueLineStation) November 3, 2017
More importantly, will we ever see that goaltender interference call revisited?
