Mikko Rantanen Suspended for Unsportsmanlike Play
Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen has been automatically suspended for one game after being ejected twice in a span of three games. Rantanen received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of the second period of Saturday’s game, which ended in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Flames. The penalty was due to a boarding penalty on forward Matt Coronato. Although Coronato was able to finish the game, Calgary coach Ryan Huska called the play “a terrible hit.” According to sources close to the team, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety decided not to hold a hearing for Rantanen following his latest infraction, based on Rule 23.6 of the NHL’s regulations. This rule establishes an automatic one-game suspension for any player who accumulates two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the “Physical Infractions” category within a period of 41 consecutive regular season games. The suspension will keep Rantanen out of Tuesday night’s game in Edmonton against the Oilers, a matchup that recalls last year’s Western Conference final, won by the Oilers 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 astonishing 57 penalty minutes. The hit on Saturday was the last of a difficult week for Rantanen. In last Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Islanders, the Stars winger was also ejected at the end of the game after charging defenseman Alexander Romanov. That play drew the ire of Islanders coach Patrick Roy, who launched a profane tirade as Rantanen left the ice and later called the hit “disrespectful.”Romanov will undergo shoulder surgery and is expected to be out for five to six months, the Islanders reported on Sunday. Rantanen has no history of supplemental 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.What I’m going to say is that when you see the number, you have to get out of the way. Everyone knows that. You don’t go against the guy. 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
