Mikko Rantanen Suspended for Unsportsmanlike Play
Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen has been automatically suspended for one game after being ejected twice in three games. Rantanen received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of the second period in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Flames, after hitting forward Matt Coronato from behind. Although Coronato was able to finish the game, Calgary coach Ryan Huska called the hit “terrible”. According to sources, the NHL’s Player Safety Department decided not to hold a hearing for Rantanen after his latest infraction, and instead relied on Rule 23.6 of the NHL’s regulations, which requires an automatic one-game suspension for any player who receives a total of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the “Physical Infractions Category” within 41 consecutive regular season games. The suspension will keep Rantanen out of Tuesday night’s game in Edmonton against the Oilers, a rematch of last year’s Western Conference final, which the Oilers won in five games. Rantanen, 29, is tied with Jason Robertson for the team lead with 28 points in 22 games (10 goals, 18 assists). With his two ejections, he now leads the team with an astounding 57 penalty minutes. The hit on Saturday was the last in a difficult week for Rantanen. In Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Islanders, the Stars’ winger was also ejected at the end of the game after hitting defenseman Alexander Romanov. That play drew the ire of Islanders coach Patrick Roy, who launched a profane tirade as Rantanen left the ice, and then called the hit “disrespectful”.Romanov will undergo shoulder surgery and is expected to be out of action for five to six months, the Islanders said on Sunday. Rantanen has no history of supplementary discipline in his 11-year career, which has spanned Colorado, Carolina, and now Dallas. Rantanen’s only notable history with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety before this suspension was a fine for embellishment.I’m going to say that when you see the number, you have to leave it. Everyone knows that. You don’t mess with the guy,” Roy said after the game. “I was in Colorado when Rantanen was drafted there. It’s not his style. But at the same time, that shouldn’t be part of our game.
Patrick Roy
