2020–21 NHL suspensions and fines explained

The following is a list of all suspensions and fines enforced in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2020–21 NHL season. It lists which players or coaches of what team have been punished for which offense and the amount of punishment they have received. The season was shortened to 56 games featuring exclusively intra-division play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No pre-season games were played.

Players' money forfeited due to suspension or fine goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund, while money forfeited by coaches, staff or organizations as a whole goes to the NHL Foundation.^[1]

Suspensions

Based on each player's average annual salary, divided by number of days in the season (116) for non-repeat offenders and games (56) for repeat offenders, salary will be forfeited for the term of their suspension.

^† - suspension covered at least one 2021 postseason game
- Player was considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (player had been suspended in the 18 months prior to this suspension)

Date of incident	Offender	Team(s)	Offense(s)	Date of action	Length	Salary forfeited
		St. Louis Blues	Illegal check to the head of Devon Toews.^[2]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$25,862.07
^[3]		No team	Conduct detrimental to the league.^[4] ^[5]		data-sort-value="days341"	341 days^†	N/A
		Minnesota Wild	Boarding Matt Roy.^[6]		data-sort-value="3"	3 games	$77,586.21
		Arizona Coyotes	Illegal check to the head of Zach Sanford.^[7]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$24,137.94
		Edmonton Oilers	Cross-checking Jimmy Vesey.^[8]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game	$18,534.48
		San Jose Sharks	Illegal check to the head of Nathan MacKinnon.^[9]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$12,701.14
		Washington Capitals	Boarding Brandon Carlo.^[10]		data-sort-value="7"	7 games	$311,781.61
		Nashville Predators	Elbowing Brock McGinn.^[11]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$15,948.28
		Minnesota Wild	Charging Conor Garland.^[12]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game	$23,706.90
		Vegas Golden Knights	Elbowing Tobias Bjornfot.^[13]		data-sort-value="3"	3 games	$71,120.69
		Colorado Avalanche	Illegal check to the head of Ryan Hartman.^[14]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$12,500.00
		Nashville Predators	Illegal check to the head of Yanni Gourde.^[15]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$12,068.97
		Vancouver Canucks	Kneeing Zach Hyman.^[16]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$103,448.28
		Philadelphia Flyers	Boarding Mark Friedman.^[17]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games	$77,586.21
		New York Rangers	High-sticking Anthony Mantha.^[18]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game	$28,017.24
		Vancouver Canucks	Kneeing Darnell Nurse.^[19]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game	$7,112.07
		Tampa Bay Lightning	Unsportsmanlike conduct against Brandon Montour.^[20]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game	$7,758.62
		Florida Panthers	Boarding Blake Coleman.^[21]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game^†	N/A
		Colorado Avalanche	Illegal check to the head of Justin Faulk.^[22]		data-sort-value="8"	8 games^†	N/A
		Edmonton Oilers	Clipping Logan Stanley.^[23]		data-sort-value="1"	1 game^†	N/A
	^R	Vegas Golden Knights	Roughing/unsportsmanlike conduct against Ryan Graves.^[24]		data-sort-value="2"	2 games^†	N/A
		Winnipeg Jets	Charging Jake Evans.^[25]		data-sort-value="4"	4 games^† (3 post-season + 1 2021–22 regular season)	N/A
Player totals:					49 games^† (+)	$829,870.71

Notes

1. All figures are in US dollars.

2. While no longer serving in a capacity with the team, the NHL ruled that Chayka's July 26, 2020 departure as general manager of the Arizona Coyotes breached his obligation to the club, by pursuing other opportunities while under contract. Chayka's suspension forbids him from working for any NHL club, in any capacity, through December 31, 2021.

3. Suspension was appealed by Kadri on May 23, 2021. On May 31, 2021, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced he had heard the appeal and was upholding the original 8 game suspension levied to Kadri. The NHLPA then appealed to a neutral arbitrator on behalf of Kadri, on the same day. On June 8, 2021, NHL/NHLPA Neutral Discipline Arbitrator, Shyam Das, upheld the NHL's 8-game suspension.^[26]

4. As the Winnipeg Jets were eliminated from the playoffs, the remaining game of Scheifele's suspension was instead made to be served in his first game of the 2021–22 NHL season.

Fines

Players can be fined up to 50% of one day's salary, up to a maximum of $10,000.00 for their first offense, and $15,000.00 for any subsequent offenses (player had been fined in the 12 months prior to this fine). Coaches, non-playing personnel, and teams are not restricted to such maximums, though can still be treated as repeat offenders.

Fines for players/coaches fined for diving/embellishment are structured uniquely and are only handed out after non-publicized warnings are given to the player/coach for their first offense. For more details on diving/embellishment fines:

Diving/embellishment specifications

Incident Number^1	Player Fine^2	Coach Fine^2
1	Warning (N/A)	Warning (N/A)
2	$2,000	N/A
3	$3,000	N/A
4	$4,000	N/A
5	$5,000	$2,000
6	$5,000	$3,000
7	$5,000	$4,000
8+	$5,000	$5,000

1. For coach incident totals, each citation issued to a player on his club counts toward his total.
2. All figures are in US dollars.

Fines listed in italics indicate that was the maximum allowed fine.

Date of incident	Offender	Team	Offense	Date of action	Amount
		Pittsburgh Penguins	Elbowing Travis Sanheim.^[27]		$10,000.00
		Philadelphia Flyers	Roughing Rasmus Dahlin.^[28]		$4,633.62
		Vancouver Canucks	Slashing Sean Monahan.^[29]		$3,987.07
		Minnesota Wild	Cross-checking Sonny Milano.^[30]		$5,000.00
	Team	Washington Capitals	Violating League's COVID-19 Protocols.^[31]		$100,000.00
		Minnesota Wild	Cross-checking Ryan Graves.^[32]		$5,000.00
		San Jose Sharks	Spearing Adam Henrique.^[33]		$5,000.00
		Los Angeles Kings	Cross-checking Conor Garland.^[34]		$3,168.10
		Vancouver Canucks	Roughing Jesse Puljujarvi.^[35]		$5,000.00
		Carolina Hurricanes	Interference against Juuse Saros.^[36]		$5,000.00
		Washington Capitals	Spearing Trent Frederic.^[37]		$5,000.00
		Carolina Hurricanes	Dangerous trip against Robby Fabbri.^[38]		$5,000.00
		Edmonton Oilers	Dangerous trip against Rasmus Andersson.^[39]		$3,854.17
		San Jose Sharks	Altercation prior to the start of the game (cross-checking Kurtis MacDermid).^[40]		$3,017.24
	(head coach)	San Jose Sharks	Altercation prior to the start of the game.		$5,000.00
		Philadelphia Flyers	Unsportsmanlike conduct against Brendan Lemieux.^[41]		$3,017.24
		Arizona Coyotes	Boarding Radim Simek.^[42]		$5,000.00
		Edmonton Oilers	Elbowing Jesperi Kotkaniemi.^[43]		$5,000.00
		Colorado Avalanche	Unsportsmanlike conduct against Conor Garland.^[44]		$5,000.00
		Toronto Maple Leafs	High-sticking Neal Pionk.^[45]		$5,000.00
		Toronto Maple Leafs	Interference against Mathieu Perreault.^[46]		$3,017.24
		New York Islanders	Diving/Embellishment (second citation).^[47]		$2,000.00
		Washington Capitals	Roughing Pavel Buchnevich.^[48]		$5,000.00
	Team	New York Rangers	Public comments criticizing an NHL official.^[49]		$250,000.00
		Colorado Avalanche	Diving/Embellishment (second citation).^[50]		$2,000.00 $0.00^#
		Florida Panthers	Spearing Pat Maroon.^[51]		$5,000.00
		Montreal Canadiens	Dangerous trip against John Tavares.^[52]		$1,000.00
		Florida Panthers	High-sticking Mathieu Joseph.^[53]		$5,000.00
		Minnesota Wild	Dangerous trip against Sammy Blais.^[54]		$5,000.00
		Carolina Hurricanes	Dangerous trip against Luke Kunin.^[55]		$5,000.00
		Washington Capitals	Goaltender interference against Tuukka Rask.^[56]		$5,000.00
		Montreal Canadiens	Cross-checking Wayne Simmonds.^[57]		$5,000.00
		Tampa Bay Lightning	Unsportsmanlike conduct against Noel Acciari.^[58]		$3,879.31
		Tampa Bay Lightning	Cross-checking Mason Marchment.^[59]		$5,000.00
		Boston Bruins	Cross-checking Scott Mayfield.^[60]		$5,000.00
		Boston Bruins	Slashing Mathew Barzal.^[61]		$5,000.00
	(head coach)	Boston Bruins	Inappropriate comments against officials during a postgame press conference.^[62]		$25,000.00
		Boston Bruins	Elbowing Scott Mayfield.^[63]		$5,000.00
		New York Islanders	Cross-checking Jan Rutta.^[64]		$5,000.00
	^R	Montreal Canadiens	Slashing Nikita Kucherov.^[65]		$5,000.00
Totals:	$501,573.99

Notes

1. All figures are in US dollars.

2. The San Jose Sharks were also assessed a conditional fine of $25,000 that would be assessed in the event of similar inappropriate behavior through March 22, 2022.

3. Barzal was issued his first citation following an incident on January 30, 2021.

4. Rantanen was issued his first citation following an incident on March 23, 2021.

5. It was reported on June 4, 2021 that Rantanen's diving/embellishment fine had been rescinded by the NHL following an appeal by Rantanen.^{[66] [67]}

Further reading

• Web site: National Hockey League Official Rules 2020–2021 . . 2020.
• Web site: 2020-21 Transition Rules and Medical Protocols . . December 22, 2020.
• Web site: NHL Department of Player Safety Education Videos . . May 27, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140319122317/http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=995 . March 19, 2014 . dead . mdy-all .
• Web site: Goal: Transparent NHL Player Discipline. Assist: Labour Law . Glasner . Daniel . Canadian Lawyer . March 24, 2014 . April 10, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140325014617/http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/5059/Goal-Transparent-NHL-player-discipline.-Assist-labour-law.html . March 25, 2014 . dead .

See also

• 2019–20 NHL suspensions and fines
• 2021–22 NHL suspensions and fines
• 2020 in sports
• 2021 in sports
• 2020–21 NHL season
• 2020–21 NHL transactions

External links

• NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement
• NHLPA, NHL Announce 2020-21 Medical Protocols, Transition Rules and Approval of a Change to NHL Rule 83

Notes and References

1. Web site: Department of Player Safety FAQs . nhl.com . 2015-08-31.
2. Web site: Blais suspended two games for actions in Blues game . nhl.com . January 14, 2021.
3. Web site: Chayka quits as Coyotes general manager, replaced by Sullivan . nhl.com . July 26, 2020.
4. Web site: Ex-Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka suspended through 2021 . Kaplan . Emily . espn.com . January 25, 2021.
5. Web site: NHL suspends John Chayka for rest of year after dispute with Coyotes . sportsnet.ca . January 25, 2021.
6. Web site: Fiala suspended three games for actions in Wild game . nhl.com . January 29, 2021.
7. Web site: Larsson suspended two games for actions in Coyotes game . nhl.com . February 13, 2021.
8. Web site: Chiasson suspended one game for actions in Oilers game . nhl.com . March 2, 2021.
9. Web site: Blichfeld suspended two games for actions in Sharks game . nhl.com . March 4, 2021.
10. Web site: Wilson suspended seven games for actions in Capitals game . nhl.com . March 6, 2021.
11. Web site: Fabbro suspended two games for actions in Predators game . nhl.com . March 10, 2021.
12. Web site: Soucy suspended one game for actions in Wild game . nhl.com . March 17, 2021 . March 17, 2021.
13. Web site: Stephenson suspended three games for actions in Golden Knights game . nhl.com . April 1, 2021.
14. Web site: MacDonald of Avalanche suspended two games . nhl.com . April 8, 2021.
15. Web site: McCarron of Predators suspended two games . nhl.com . April 11, 2021.
16. Web site: Edler of Canucks suspended two games for kneeing . nhl.com . April 19, 2021.
17. Web site: Gostisbehere suspended two games for actions in Flyers game . nhl.com . May 5, 2021.
18. Web site: Buchnevich suspended one game for actions in Rangers game . nhl.com . May 6, 2021.
19. Web site: MacEwen suspended one game for actions in Canucks game against Oilers . nhl.com . May 7, 2021.
20. Web site: Maroon of Lightning suspended one game for unsportsmanlike conduct . nhl.com . May 9, 2021.
21. Web site: Bennett suspended one game for actions in Panthers game against Lightning . nhl.com . May 17, 2021.
22. Web site: Kadri suspended eight games, out for Avalanche starting with Game 3 . nhl.com . May 21, 2021.
23. Web site: Archibald of Oilers suspended one game . nhl.com . May 24, 2021.
24. Web site: Reaves suspended two games for actions in Golden Knights game . nhl.com . May 31, 2021.
25. Web site: Scheifele suspended four games for Jets for charging Evans . nhl.com . June 3, 2021.
26. Web site: Kadri of Avalanche has eight-game suspension upheld by arbitrator . nhl.com . June 8, 2021.
27. Web site: McCann fined for actions in Penguins game . nhl.com . January 16, 2021.
28. Web site: Aube-Kubel fined for actions in Flyers game against Sabres . nhl.com . January 19, 2021.
29. Web site: Pettersson fined for actions in Canucks game against Flames . nhl.com . January 19, 2021.
30. Web site: Pateryn fined for actions in Wild game against Ducks . nhl.com . January 19, 2021.
31. Web site: Capitals fined $100,000 by NHL for COVID-19 violations . nhl.com . January 20, 2021.
32. Web site: Bjugstad fined for actions in Wild game against Avalanche . nhl.com . February 1, 2021.
33. Web site: Simek fined for actions in Sharks game against Ducks . nhl.com . February 7, 2021.
34. Web site: Strand fined for actions in Kings game against Coyotes . nhl.com . February 21, 2021.
35. Web site: Roussel fined for actions in Canucks game against Oilers . nhl.com . February 24, 2021.
36. Web site: Niederreiter fined $5,000 for actions in Hurricanes game . nhl.com . March 3, 2021.
37. Web site: Ovechkin fined $5,000 for actions in Capitals game . nhl.com . March 4, 2021.
38. Web site: Pesce fined $5,000 for actions in Hurricanes game . nhl.com . March 4, 2021.
39. Web site: Yamamoto fined $3,854.17 for actions in Oilers game . nhl.com . March 7, 2021.
40. Web site: Gabriel, Boughner fined for actions in Sharks game . nhl.com . March 23, 2021.
41. Web site: Morin fined for actions in Flyers game . nhl.com . March 26, 2021.
42. Web site: Schmaltz fined for actions in Coyotes game . nhl.com . March 27, 2021.
43. Web site: McDavid fined for actions in Oilers game . nhl.com . March 31, 2021.
44. Web site: MacKinnon fined for actions in Avalanche game vs. Coyotes . nhl.com . April 1, 2021.
45. Web site: Hyman fined for actions in Maple Leafs game vs. Jets . nhl.com . April 16, 2021.
46. Web site: Thornton fined for actions in Maple Leafs game . nhl.com . April 23, 2021.
47. Web site: Barzal fined for actions in Islanders game against Capitals . nhl.com . April 29, 2021.
48. Web site: Wilson fined maximum for actions in Capitals game against Rangers . nhl.com . May 4, 2021.
49. Web site: Rangers fined $250,000 for comments on Player Safety director Parros . nhl.com . May 6, 2021.
50. Web site: Rantanen fined for actions in Avalanche game . nhl.com . May 6, 2021.
51. Web site: Montour fined maximum for actions in Panthers game against Lightning . nhl.com . May 9, 2021.
52. Web site: Edmundson fined for actions in Canadiens game against Maple Leafs . nhl.com . May 9, 2021.
53. Web site: Weegar fined maximum for actions in Panthers game against Lightning . nhl.com . May 9, 2021.
54. Web site: Hartman fined $5,000 for actions in Wild game against Blues . nhl.com . May 14, 2021.
55. Web site: Staal fined $5,000 for actions in Hurricanes game . nhl.com . May 22, 2021.
56. Web site: Mantha fined $5,000 for actions in Capitals game . nhl.com . May 22, 2021.
57. Web site: Weber fined $5,000 for actions in Canadiens game . nhl.com . May 23, 2021.
58. Web site: Maroon fined for actions in Lightning game . nhl.com . May 25, 2021.
59. Web site: McDonagh fined $5,000 for actions in Lightning game . nhl.com . May 25, 2021.
60. Web site: DeBrusk fined $5,000 for actions in Bruins game . nhl.com . June 1, 2021.
61. Web site: Krejci fined $5,000 for actions in Bruins game . nhl.com . June 6, 2021.
62. Web site: Cassidy fined $25,000 for comments after Bruins' loss in Game 5 . nhl.com . June 8, 2021.
63. Web site: Ritchie of Bruins fined $5,000 for actions in Game 5 . nhl.com . June 8, 2021.
64. Web site: Barzal of Islanders fined $5,000 for actions in Game 5 . nhl.com . June 22, 2021.
65. Web site: Weber of Canadiens fined $5,000 for incident in Game 1 of Cup Final . nhl.com . June 29, 2021.
66. Web site: Avs' Rantanen Writes Letter, Has $2000 Diving Fine Rescinded . Scouting the Refs . June 4, 2021.
67. Web site: NHLWAM S9: Jakso 3 Mikko Rantanen 1/2 . June 4, 2021 . Finnish . NHLWAM S9: Episode 3 Mikko Rantanen 1/2.