Ryan Hartman forced an opposing player face-first into the ice and now the Minnesota Wild forward has to face the repercussions of his actions with a 10-game suspension.
In the waning moments of the second period on Saturday with the Wild trailing the Ottawa Senators 3-0, Hartman and his team desperately needed a spark.
However, Hartman’s act against Senators forward Tim Stützle on the impending faceoff went considerably too far in the NHL’s eyes.
“As the puck is being dropped, Hartman immediately takes his right hand off his stick, with Stutzle leaning forward in an attempt to win the faceoff,” the NHL said in a video describing the punishment. “Hartman takes his free hand, puts his forearm on the back of Stützle’s head and uses his body weight to intentionally drive Stützle downward, slamming him face first into the ice.”
The play resulted in Hartman receiving an ejection from the game while Stützle bled from a cut above his eye.
Stützle played through the cut and went on to record two assists in the final period enroute to Ottawa’s 6-0 win.
“Hartman contends that he is attempting to use his hand to regain his balance using Stützle for support and that their fall to the ice was accidental,” the NHL said.
Hartman, 30, has a history of facing supplementary discipline from the NHL, with the league citing him as a “repeat offender.”
Through 663 career games, including playoffs, Hartman has been fined seven times and has now been suspended five times, with four of those coming since 2023.
Ryan Hartman has been suspended for ten games for roughing Tim Stützle. pic.twitter.com/hDJJQrMMIl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 4, 2025
The 10-game suspension is the longest of Hartman’s career and the longest the NHL has handed a player since 2018.
Repeat offenders are “more severely punished for each new violation,” according to the collective bargaining unit between the players and the league.
Hartman, who has recorded seven goals and 10 assists through 48 games played this season, has 48 hours to appeal the suspension.
As of now, though, he would be out until Minnesota’s March 9 game against the Penguins.
The Wild currently are third in the Central Division.