San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky was not happy with the officiating after his team’s 4-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club and that has cost him $25,000.
“I’m passionate, I wear my emotions on my sleeve,” Warsofsky admitted. “Sometimes it gets the best of me, but at the end of the day, I’ve gotta have our players’ back and that’s not gonna change.”
The two teams combined for 26 penalty minutes, 16 of those called against San Jose. Utah went 2-for-6 on the power play – including Clayton Keller’s game-winning goal, while the Sharks were 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
Warsofsky appeared to object to non-calls by refs Chris Rooney and Riley Brace, including a potential boarding that went unpenalized by Utah’s Kevin Stenlund on Macklin Celebrini. Despite voicing his objections, Warsofsky was not penalized nor ejected from the game.
The Sharks’ bench boss spoke after the game, careful to avoid further comments on the officiating. Nonetheless, the NHL felt his in-game chatter was enough to slap him with a $25,000 fine.
“I’m not gonna get into what happened,” Warsofsky said. “We’re moving on. It is an emotional sport, and we’ve got to move on for tonight.”
“Do I wish I used different words or whatnot… At the end of the day, we’re all in this together as a group, myself, the coaches, the trainers, the equipment staff, the players, and I’m going to have our players back for as long as I’m here.”
Warsofsky was fined twice while behind the bench in the American Hockey League.
From the NHL:
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has been fined $25,000 for inappropriate conduct during NHL Game No. 487 against the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday, Dec. 14, the National Hockey League announced today.
The fine money goes to the NHL Foundation.
The Utah Hockey Club defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3. Officials for the game were referees Chris Rooney (#5) and Riley Brace (#49) with linespersons Mitch Hunt (#62) and Ryan Gibbons (#58).
