Rangers fined $250K by NHL for criticizing player safety head

The Rangers have been fined $250,000 for the public statement they made on Tuesday in reaction to the Tom Wilson fine.

Wilson was fined $5,000 for his actions in Monday’s game when he punched Pavel Buchnevich during a scrum and threw Artemi Panarin to the ice. The following day the Rangers released a statement expressing their disappointment with the light punishment and ended it by saying the decision a “dereliction of duty” by NHL player safety head George Parros and calling him “unfit” to continue in the position.

You knew the directness of the statement and calling out Parros specifically would lead to some sort of punishment for the franchise.

From the NHL:

“Public comments of the nature issued by the Rangers that were personal in nature and demeaning of a League executive will not be tolerated,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “While we don’t expect our Clubs to agree with every decision rendered by the Department of Player Safety, the extent to which the Rangers expressed their disagreement was unacceptable. It is terribly unfair to question George Parros’ professionalism and dedication to his role and the Department of Player Safety.”

This is the second time the league has fined one of its teams this season. In January the Capitals were fined $100,000 because players had broken the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at [e-mail] or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.