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To the surprise of probably no hockey fan, the most hot-tempered goalie in the NHL was ejected after kick-starting a huge scrum … and he nearly fought the other team’s netminder on the way out.
The St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington went after Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman after Hartman scored and clipped him while skating by. Binnington, who had already exchanged words with the Wild bench earlier in Wednesday’s game, took exception and struck Hartman with his stick hand. That touched off a huge scuffle as Hartman fell to the ice, a scrum that Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury – famously one of the league’s nice guys – tried to join.
Unfortunately for fans of goalie fights everywhere, the linesmen got between the two goaltenders and separated them before any punches were thrown.
Fleury had no second thoughts about skating down to confront Binnington.
“I’m not surprised. I’ve seen Jordan do a few things in his career,” Fleury said after the Wild’s 8-5 win. “That’s why I went. I made (the decision) pretty quick.”
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Binnington thought the two would have made a lasting memory if they had squared off.
“I’m not surprised. I kind of think it was our moment, but I got nothing but respect for Fleury, too,” Binnington said. “He’s a legendary goalie. Coming down there, shows a lot about him.”
Binnington received a match penalty for the incident, a penalty handed out to a player “who deliberately attempts or who deliberately injures an opponent.” Such penalties carry an automatic suspension from play pending review by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Fleury and Binnington each received penalties for leaving the crease, as well, and Hartman also picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his role in the altercation.
“Those blockers aren’t soft,” Hartman said. “We don’t have much protection on our face. I’d say (it was a cheap shot). It’s nothing new from him. He’s been doing stuff like this for a while.”
Binnington said he has no grudge against Hartman.
“We know the type of player he is. I actually like his game, to be honest,” Binnington said. “I’ve played against him since the jungle days for a while now. He plays the game hard and I respect it and it’s no problem. It’s kind of how it played out and it’s all good. “
The match penalty call did surprise Binnington “a little bit.”
“I don’t think I caught him too clean with my going after him,” Binnington said. “Like I said, he’s pretty good at diving. That’s his game and that’s totally fine. If they don’t want to stay in there and compete until that end, that’s fine, but that’s it, that’s the ref’s decision and that’s fine.”
Binnington, 29, came out of nowhere in 2019 to lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup championship with incredible play. But his career since then has largely been defined by childish on-ice antics matched with increasingly poor play. Entering Wednesday his save percentage was a ghastly .894 and he led the league with 24 regulation losses.
His latest incident could earn him some time on the sidelines.
Contributing: Associated Press
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