Nathan MacKinnon has been fined $5,000 by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for tossing his helmet at Conor Garland of the Coyotes Thursday night.
The $5,000 amount is the “maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
Late in the third period, MacKinnon was battling in the corner with Garland for the puck when the two became entangled. As the Avalanche forward attempted a DDT that would make Jake “The Snake” Roberts frown, he pulled off Garland’s helmet in the process. MacKinnon then tossed the bucket at the Coyotes forward, who was not ready to receive it.
Garland was handed a roughing minor, while MacKinnon was given a double-minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.
The Avalanche would go on to win the game 9-3 thanks to a five-goal first period and a Joonas Donskoi hat trick.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.