NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman reduced Minnesota Wild center Ryan Hartman’s 10-game suspension to eight games.
Hartman was penalized for roughing Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle during a faceoff. The two players competed for the puck when Hartman placed his right forearm on the back of Stutzle’s head and pushed him toward the ice, causing Stutzle to require five stitches on his face.
Hartman was given a match penalty, an in-person hearing, and a suspension two days later. The 30-year-old appealed the ruling from the NHL Department of Player Safety but did not deny that his actions violated the rules. Bettman reviewed the suspension length in relation to Hartman’s past history with supplemental discipline. This was Hartman’s fifth suspension, and he had been fined seven times as well.
Bettman described Hartman’s record as “an unenviable one and a pattern of misconduct.”
Hartman’s previous suspension, before the Stutzle incident, was for three games. This penalty followed an incident where he threw his stick on the ice toward an official in frustration after an overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
This means there is a seven-game increase between the two suspensions.
The NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), which represented Hartman, proposed eight games as a more appropriate suspension length, based on the suspension histories of players who had been suspended four times before, including Nazem Kadri, Evander Kane, Brad Marchand, Zac Rinaldo, and Tom Wilson.
Bettman stated he disagreed that the suspension records of these players were relevant comparisons. However, he did note that the jump from a three-game suspension to a 10-game suspension was “not proportional” and “excessive.”
“In light of Mr. Hartman’s prior suspension of three games, I believe that an eight-game suspension should be sufficient to serve as an appropriate ‘wake-up call’ to Mr. Hartman, prompting him to reassess his behavior on the ice and make positive changes to his game,” Bettman wrote.
Bettman concurred with NHL Player Safety that Hartman’s roughing of Stutzle wasn’t premeditated or intentional but also wasn’t entirely “accidental,” as Hartman had claimed.
Hartman will be eligible to return to the Wild on March 4, when they face the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
This season, Hartman has played 48 games for the Wild, recording seven goals, 10 assists, and 17 points, along with 60 penalty minutes.