The NHL’s Department of Player Safety handed out a pair of fines to the Colorado Avalanche after their loss against the Minnesota Wild, with Logan O’Connor and Kurtis MacDermid both paying up.
O’Connor was fined $1,812.50 for cross-checking Minnesota Wild defenseman Dmitri Kulikov. He received a minor penalty for boarding on the play, which happened 2:05 into the first period. O’Connor and Wild winger Brandon Duhaime earned matching fighting majors after the hit, with an additional instigator to Duhaime for starting the scrap in response to O’Connor’s initial contact.
MacDermid picked up a $2,187.50 fine for kneeing Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno just three minutes later. Referees Jon McIsaac and Kelly Sutherland called a major penalty for kneeing on the Avs’ blueliner, along with a game misconduct.
Foligno was injured on the play and did not return.
“It’s an awful thing to happen, especially this time [of the season],” Minnesota head coach Dean Evason said. “Forget about any time. What’s the point of it? […] It’s serious enough that one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen can’t come back and play.”
Both fines are the maximum allowable under the CBA without a formal hearing.
