Jared McCann may have a Department of Player Safety problem.
During a post-whistle scrum at the Kraken bench in last night’s Vegas–Seattle game, McCann appeared to shove linesman Travis Toomey (#90) from the bench. The official was in the middle of the scrum at the bench doorway separating players, with Kraken players leaning over the boards. McCann appear to give Toomey a few shoves on the back.
No penalty was called on the play, which means the automatic Physical Abuse of Officials penalty doesn’t apply here.
Perhaps McCann was frustrated that Toomey had one of his teammates – defenseman Vince Dunn – tied up. Maybe he wanted to keep them from falling into the bench, or away from the open bench door to avoid an injury. Intent, though, is not the league’s test under Rule 40 – deliberate contact is.
Rule 40.1 is blunt: any player who deliberately applies physical force against an official gets a game misconduct. The automatic suspensions stack from there. Category II (deliberate force without intent to injure) carries 10 games; Category III (physically demeaning or threatening an official, throwing equipment, or using force to get free during an altercation) carries 3 games.
We’ve seen suspensions handed out in the past for players shoving or trying to wrestle free from officials
- Antoine Vermette (2017) slashed linesman Shandor Alphonso after a faceoff – 10 games, upheld (Category II).
- Evander Kane (2019) shoved linesman Kiel Murchison during an altercation – 3 games (Category III).
- Tony DeAngelo (2016) physically opposed linesman David Brisebois while being restrained – 3 games (Category III).
- Dan Carcillo (2014) deliberately applied force to an official – 10 games, later reduced to 6 on appeal.
Sometimes, the play is penalized but doesn’t result in supplemental discipline.
- Michael Pezzetta picked up a misconduct – not an abuse of officials penalty – and no supplemental discipline for shoving Ryan Gibbons this past March
Not all contact, though, has resulted in penalties or suspensions:
- Brad Marchand (2024 playoffs) shoved a linesman on his way to the bench in Game 6 vs. Toronto – no penalty, no suspension
- Nathan MacKinnon (2022) slashed linesman Michael Cormier’s leg after a faceoff – no discipline; the league ruled his intent was to strike the opposing player.
- Chris Neil (2012) shoved linesman Pierre Champoux during a scrum – 10-minute misconduct on the ice, nothing further.
Of course, those all happened on the ice. The NHL already comes down harshly on player-vs.-player interactions from the bench, which often result in fines:
- Steven Stamkos (Jan. 2026) jabbed his stick into Jeremy Lauzon’s face from the Predators bench, earning a $2,500 fine. No penalty.
- Brandon Duhaime (Jan. 2026) jabbed Jacob Melanson with his stick from the Capitals bench for $2,500.
- Kevin Shattenkirk (Apr. 2024) reached from the Bruins bench and touched Michael Bunting with his stick, picking up $2,734.38, the max for unsportsmanlike conduct. No penalty on the play.
McCann’s case is a bit rarer, factoring in both the off-ice involvement from the bench and the intentional contact with the official.
If Player Safety deems the shove deliberate, the rulebook points to a game misconduct that was never called and an automatic suspension – but that’s only automatic if it’s called as abuse of officials during the game, which it wasn’t.
If they read it as incidental to the scrum – a player pushing bodies apart at his own bench – the results from the Marchand/MacKinnon/Neil incidents say he walks. Based on the non-call during the game, that’s what we’re expecting here. Perhaps an ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ fine at most.
The Vegas Golden Knights went on to defeat the Seattle Kraken 6-2. Officials for the game were referees Brandon Blandina (#39) and Chris Schlenker (#3) with linespersons Travis Toomey (#90) and Kiel Murchison (#79).
