Saturday night was a rollercoaster of NHL action, with the Ottawa Senators putting on a show and delivering a 6-0 beatdown to the Minnesota Wild in front of a fired-up crowd of 18,822 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Great numbers, right? But it’s not the rollercoaster I am referring to.

According to the NHL, Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Hartman is in a lot of trouble after a roughing up of Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators during the match that was played on February 1. The NHL’s Player Safety Department hit Hartman with a hefty 10-game suspension (the longest in franchise history) without pay for the aggressive move. The rough play occurred in the second period and as a result of this, Hartman was given a match penalty.

In addition to the suspension, Hartman, who has been in similar situations before, will forfeit a significant portion of his salary, specifically $487,804.90, which will be donated to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Talk about a costly mistake!

Hartman definitely crossed the line when he “used his forearm to violently slam” Stutzle’s head into the ice during a late second period face-off. The league did not believe Hartman’s testimony that he slipped tried to use Stutzel to regain his balance. Instead, they insisted, “This is not a hockey play,” describing it as “inherently dangerous and unacceptable.”

Stutzle received a head injury and, after receiving stitches, he returned to the game in the third period to make two assists. Now, coming back to Hartman, is this the first time he has been suspended?

Not just against Ottawa Senators, but others too!

Ryan Hartman is no stranger to trouble as Stutzle was but the latest addition to a long list of people who have been on the receiving end of Hartman’s outbursts. He has been suspended a few times in the past and has been fined seven times, including a high-sticking fine in January 2024 for an opponent during a faceoff. The guy’s history is like a ticking time bomb, with the league disciplining him about once every 60 games. He was suspended for two games in 2023 for tripping Alex DeBrincat. As if that wasn’t enough, things got even more dramatic early last year.

In  January 2024 Hartman was fined the maximum fine of $4,427.08 for high-sticking Winnipeg Jets’ Cole Perfetti. As it was revealed later, it was not just an ordinary fight–Hartman said that he wanted to get revenge for a cross-check by Brenden Dillon in the previous match. What’s crazier? Perfetti was wired, and Hartman’s confession was recorded, so it was evident that this high stick was not a mistake.

Hartman’s suspension and fines appear to be accumulating, and the NHL does not appear to be turning a blind eye anymore. This “revenge” style of play has most certainly placed him on the hot seat, and the pattern of such moves cannot be dismissed easily. Guess we’ll see if he can shake the reputation or if it keeps costing him!