Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has been fined $5,000 by the NHL for butt-ending Minnesota Wild forward Michael McCarron during Monday night’s Game 4 of the Western Conference second-round series. The incident occurred in the first period of Colorado’s 5-2 victory, as the Avalanche now hold a 3-1 series lead.
Manson received a double minor penalty after appearing to drive the butt end of his stick into McCarron’s neck area while the two were tangled on the ice. McCarron, clearly frustrated, called Manson a “dirty player” during an in-game interview with ESPN, adding, “Surprised he got away with a four-minute (penalty).”
Manson, 34, was making his first appearance since April 23 due to an upper-body injury. In four postseason games, he has two assists and eight penalty minutes. During the regular season, the veteran defenseman accumulated 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) and 91 penalty minutes across 79 games.
The fine is the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
The Avalanche lead the series 3-1 and will look to close out the Wild in Game 5.
