Article: Ryan Hartman Suspended Three Games For Throwing Stick Towards Referee

[Thomas Williams]

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[Protec]

Too bad he didn't make a striped shish-kabob out of those losers. 

A merciful God understands ref-hatred. We're all sinners and sometimes you just can't help letting emotions get the best of you. The season is toast, not what anyone wanted. 

The boys really ought to start saying more prayers. I mean, the walls of Jericho didn't crumble cause the GM says "it's all about eff'n winning." 

 

 

[FredJohnson]

Such a vicious, violent act. (sarcasm)

[mnfaninnc]

Watching the replay, I have to disagree that Hartman is throwing his stick at the referees. There is no referee in sight when he launches his stick and the referee skates into the sliding stick. That's kind of a BS call.

Now, if Hartman is getting suspended for throwing his stick from the bench onto the ice because they lost, I could see that interpretation. Any thrown stick can result in injury to players or referees. It was poor sportsmanship on his behalf, but I'd rather have some emotion out of my players being pissed that they lost.

I think, ultimately, this suspension helps the team by forcing them to play a young player. 

Which brings me to this: I read some of Russo's breakdown of the Wild blowing leads in must win games. It's pretty bad. It's not one player, Russo says, but, when he listed the plays that broke us, Hartman and Zuccarello not executing were 2 themes. On the goal that tied it for Vegas, I believe that Middleton should have backed off and realized the score and the point in the game. To me, Vegas had a set play go goat the defender to pinch, drop it back short to a guy with an open lane to blow past the defender. On this play, Rossi is trying to cover for Middleton, but can't cross over to the other side of the ice in time to get the trailing Amadio.

However, Heinzy explains that the error was before this, where Hartman should have eaten the puck down low and not hard rimmed it around the boards bringing Middleton down. Middleton's read was how they are coached, and he has to believe that a forward covers for him there. Russo broke down the 7 lead cough ups, and Hartman was on the ice for several. Zuccarello too, and if you count the OT shot that he missed where Marchessault scores, that's just another one. Russo counted 11 stolen points from us. Think about that. Where would we be with an extra 11 points? 

Personally, I feel like this is a difference between Evason and Hynes. Hynes believes more in the lockdown philosophy, and I think that this part of the game will get taken care of in training camp next season. I believe that Evason seemed to stress a more aggressive approach and trying to get that separator goal. 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

36 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I think, ultimately, this suspension helps the team by forcing them to play a young player. 

That's what I was thinking. Foligno out for the remainder of the year and Hartman out for a few games. Someone like Beckman will need to play.

[mnfaninnc]

14 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Someone like Beckman will need to play.

and up in the lineup!!!!

[B1GKappa97]

Hartman clearly threw his stick in the direction of the ref, and violence against an official is not acceptable for any reason. I get that they can be frustrating, but there's no excuse for any of what Hartman did. Especially when it happens after the game is already over. 

Dude deserves his suspension. Plain and simple. 

Hopefully it helps us drop in the standings the remaining 9 games >:(

[Citizen Strife]

The refs just don't want Hartman to go streaking and get more points like he had lately.  They were scared Vegas would get found out as cheaters, so they made an example out of the Wild like usual.

Might as well make the most of it: more young guys.

Edited April 2 by Citizen Strife

[MNCountryLife]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

They were scared Vegas would get found out as cheaters

I sure would like to see a new rule that prevents teams from placing players on IR until the playoffs so that they can stack the team for a playoff run.  Tampa Bay did this as well.  It should not be allowed.

[MNCountryLife]

I do like the passion of Hartman.  The guy hates losing... even in a dumpster fire year with no playoff hope.  It gets him in trouble here and there... but I'll take that over a player that takes shifts/games off.

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, B1GKappa97 said:

Hartman clearly threw his stick in the direction of the ref, and violence against an official is not acceptable for any reason.

Hartman was sitting on the bench, there was a group of several Vegas players celebrating in the middle of the rink. There is a referee behind those players. Hartman through his stick before any official could be identified. The official skates from mid ice towards the Wild blue line as the stick is sliding towards the far boards. If the official is stopped at mid ice and does not skate towards the blue line, the stick harmlessly goes into the boards.

But, the official does not stop at center ice and he skates towards the sliding stick which he cannot see. There are no other officials in the vicinity of the stick. At what point does Hartman throw his stick towards the official? I don't see the intent in the throw.

Now, in my mind, it is a dangerous unsportsmanlike move by Hartman. To say he directed it towards an official, I think, is a bit of a stretch, it was closer to towards a celebrating Vegas team on the ice. I'm not arguing the suspension, especially in an afternoon game with plenty of youth in attendance. Players should not be throwing things on the ice. It's dangerous. 

Of course, I only saw 1 angle, perhaps a shot from the referee's angle is needed. There was no sound, perhaps Hartman was also barking at the officials when he threw it. But, from the click shown, and I've had plenty of refereeing experience, I just don't see it.

Edited April 2 by mnfaninnc

[B1GKappa97]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

Of course, I only saw 1 angle, perhaps a shot from the referee's angle is needed. There was no sound, perhaps Hartman was also barking at the officials when he threw it. But, from the click shown, and I've had plenty of refereeing experience, I just don't see it.

I think you are slightly biased 😛 but yes, from what I've read he was clearly yelling at the refs as he threw the stick. Not at the GK players. 

Throwing his stick at either one is not acceptable. 

I like his passion, I like his grit, hell I even like his contract. He was completely in the wrong here, though, and it won't do him any favors with refs in the future. 

[mnfaninnc]

18 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

I think you are slightly biased 😛

I was not looking at it through any bias, simply from the angle that I saw on the X video. I did see it on the big screen last night. While I don't think he was directing his stick at the referee, I do think that the throwing of the stick, like he did was probably out of frustration that another one got away and the season was, essentially, over. 

As I said before, I am fine with a 3 game suspension, because this is a bad precedence to let go unpunished. Hartzy would have done better to snap his stick over the boards. Or, taken it down the tunnel and rearranged the coolers. 

But, on the wide screen, he was not as blocked as I thought, there were only 2 VGK players at center ice, and you could see the referee to the right of the players (Hartman's right). That full angle was not seen in the X video. We still haven't seen anything from the referee's angle that would make him think it was directed at him, but, sound was removed from the video, likely due to inappropriate language for tv. That would probably be important information to have.

I will say that I believe Hartman has been targeted by officials to be ignored a bit when things happen to him, almost as if he has an embellishment reputation. I think this may have been building in him all year and he snapped. But, without the sound and referee's angle, I cannot conclude that he fired the stick towards the referee.