Well, it was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? The unique layout that forces visiting teams to cross the ice to get to their lockers at Bell Centre played its role in Game 3 of the Washington Capitals vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Sparks flew as the Canadiens and Washington players met on the ice, and words quickly turned into an all-out brawl. With Caps’ Tom Wilson and Habs’ Josh Anderson throwing hands, others joined in as the playoffs descended into chaos.
In fact, things got so heated that the two players took the fight to the bench and nearly crashed into Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “I was on my way to walk across the ice… So then I had to reverse my course and head back because there was two large individuals coming through the door,” said Carbery. And while that might sound funny, the NHL didn’t find it amusing and slapped the men with fines. Yet a $10,000 collective fine is far below $65,403.65. So, how did the fines climb so high?
Well, despite both Wilson and Anderson getting hit with $5000 fines each (the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement), the Habs and the Washington Capitals didn’t cool off. While the NHL/NHLPA didn’t disclose any further details, they cited “unsportsmanlike behavior” to penalize not just individual players but both the NHL teams ahead of Game 4 (April 27).
The NHL made it abundantly clear that they wouldn’t tolerate off-puck infractions by suspending arguably the biggest star of the sport, Connor McDavid, in January. Yet, despite the warning and what happened in the last match, the misconduct even bled into the Game 4 warm-ups. The result? The NHL/NHLPA slapped the teams with a whopping $25,000 each. But wait, there’s more!
The #NHL collected $65,403.65 in fines from the #Habs and #Caps after the two games in Montreal:
– $5,000 fine each for Josh Anderson & Tom Wilson
– $25,000 fine each for the two organizations
– $3,385.42 fine for Arber Xhekaj
– $2,018.23 fine for Dylan McIlrath
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) April 28, 2025
Once again, while the details remained undisclosed, the Player’s Safety Department announced that Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj and Washington Capitals’ Dylan McIlrath had incurred individual fines as well. Xhekaj will pay $3,385.42, while McIlrath will pay $2,018.23. And yes, these are once again the maximum allowable fines under the CBA. And that’s how we reach the magic number of $65,403.65. Now the question is, will these fines make a difference when the Stanley Cup’s at stake? Well, maybe not.
The Washington Capitals and Habs may not be the last
Despite incurring the heavy fines during warmups, the whole Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens roster played Game 4. Even Logan Thompson returned after suffering what looked like a severe injury in Game 3. And while it looked like Game 4 would once again see the Canadiens leading while the Capitals chased, a massive hit by Tom Wilson on Alexandre Carrier turned it all around.
Wilson rushed in and boarded Carrier, who lost the puck, which led to the play that saw Brandon Duhaime equalize with a backhand shot. And like the announcer put it, “The guy who started it off with a walloping crunch ends it with an empty-net goal,” about Wilson scoring the Washington Capitals’ 5th goal. Thankfully, this time the hit was a legal one, but it might be a different story had Wilson mistimed the hit.
Something similar happened during Game 2 of the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the Florida Panthers. Bolts forward Brandon Hagel smashed Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov with a “high, hard body check” that flattened the hockey player, as per the NHL. The reckless move cost Hagel Game 3 as the NHL hit him with a one-game suspension. And while they didn’t fine Hagel, two Panthers players might not be so lucky after Game 4.
Panthers vs. Bolts Game 4 saw defenseman Niko Mikkola ejected for brutally boarding Bolts forward Zemgus Girgensons. The officials slapped him with a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. Yet that didn’t deter fellow Panther Aaron Ekblad from taking out Hagel with a high forearm check. And if we learned anything from the Washington Capitals and Habs fine, the NHL may just hit the players with fines for not taking the hint after Hagel’s suspension. Then again, will fines and suspensions be enough to control the chaos of the playoffs?
The post Past 72 Hours Cost $65,403 as Washington Capitals & Other NHL Teams Suffer From Chaotic Stanley Cup Playoffs appeared first on EssentiallySports.
