Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has been fined for punching Edmonton Oilers Quebec defenseman Vincent Desharnais.
On Sunday, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Player Safety Division fined the 32-year-old veteran $5,000. He received the maximum penalty provided for by the collective agreement for aiming at one of the Laval native’s wrists.
In the third half of Saturday’s game between the Leafs and the Oilers, Tavares and Desharnais battled in front of the Edmonton team. Belle Province’s rear end served several punches in the back to the Queen City representative. The latter retaliated by hitting his rival’s forearm directly. Both skaters received minor two-minute penalties for the streak.
Desharnais, 26, played his 22nd game of the NHL season and career against the Maple Leafs. The defensive-minded defender had four assists and 23 penalty minutes at Bettman Circuit.