The longest suspension in seven years has just been handed out in the NHL. Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild will miss the coming 10 games after a roughing incident against Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle. But now, fans can’t stop laughing at what Hartman did just hours before the suspension went public.
The NHL hasn’t handed out a double-digit suspension for an on-ice incident since Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was suspended for 20 games in 2018 for an illegal check to the head. But now, the longest suspension in seven years has officially been handed out.
Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild was ejected from the game against the Ottawa Senators at the end of the second period in a game this past weekend. After the puck was dropped for a face-off, Hartman brought Stutzle down with him and pushed his head into the ice. Stutzle could be seen bleeding above his eye, but he remained in the game. Hartman had been suspended four times earlier in his career, and now, the DoPS wanted to set an example.
Ryan Hartman suspended ten games
Late on Monday, Hartman was handed a ten-game suspension. The NHL did not accept his explanation, in which he claimed he only used Stutzle for support after losing his balance.
“It is important to note that this is not a hockey play,” the NHL said in its video explanation of the suspension. “Hartman contends that he is attempting to use his hand to regain his balance using Stützle for support and that their fall to the ice is accidental. We disagree.
“With Stutzle bent low and focused on winning the draw, Hartman chooses to take advantage of a vulnerable player in an unacceptable fashion. Hartman intentionally uses his forearm and body weight to drive Stutzle’s head directly into the ice from a height, which makes this play inherently dangerous and unacceptable.”
Hartman’s hilarious move on social media
Hartman has seven goals and 10 assists for the Wild this season, but he will now miss some time. There’s nothing funny about what happened between Hartman and Stutzle, or the suspension itself, but fans found one detail hilarious about everything that happened.
The day before the suspension was made official, an Instagram account named “NHL.discussion” posted a clip of the incident and asked their followers if Hartman deserved a suspension or not. Followers could simply cast their votes on the post, and in hilarious fashion, Ryan Hartman himself voted on his own suspension. It’s unclear how Hartman voted, but it’s fair to assume he didn’t feel he deserved one.
“Ryan Hartman voting on his own suspension is killing me,” one user said on social media about it.
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