The NHL Department of Player Safety announced this morning that Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon has received a $5,000 fine for throwing a helmet at Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland Wednesday night. Additionally, this fine comes just days after another star player in Connor McDavid, was fined for an elbow to the head of Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct on Arizona’s Conor Garland.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 1, 2021
Nathan MacKinnon Fined for Conor Garland Helmet Incident
The fine stems from a ten-minute major MacKinnon received Wednesday night in the third period against the Coyotes. Hilarity ensued on this absolutely video-game-looking penalty, a move that most hockey fans have yet to see.
Nathan MacKinnon got a 10-min misconduct for tossing Conor Garland’s helmet at him. 🤭 pic.twitter.com/HdQHogvSut
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 1, 2021
Plus, this move added insult to injury for the Coyotes, who were already down 8-3 at that point. The Avs ended up winning the game 9-3.
Considering precedent, it felt likely that MacKinnon wouldn’t receive a suspension for this play. However, sometimes you never know what the league may or may not deem too dangerous.
Colorado’s had to go without the services of their first-line centre at different times throughout this year. MacKinnon’s missed four games out of 35 due to injury but Colorado still sits at the top of the Honda West division. MacKinnon’s 40 points in 31 games is actually second on the team behind Mikko Rantanen’s 43 points. Needless to say, the unit of him, Rantanen, and Landeskog have been as electric as ever this year.
Going Forward
The Avalanche are really starting to play their style of hockey right now. Kadri’s been heating up after a slow start, and now has 26 points in 35 games. Donskoi sits second on the team in goals behind only Rantanen, as he continues to have a career season for the Avalanche. Look for this Colorado team to be a real threat heading into playoffs.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
