Chris Kreider has been fined $5,000 by the league after hitting Cody Eakin with his own helmet during a fight during last night’s New York Rangers-Dallas Stars game.
NY Rangers’ Chris Kreider fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for hitting Dallas’ Cody Eakin with his helmet during a fight.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 18, 2017
Kreider grabbed Eakins’ helmet and proceeded to hit him with it during the fight, before dropping it and continuing to swing at the Stars forward.
here is Kreider hitting Eakin in the head with his own helmet pic.twitter.com/rcDoI5JNLb
— steph (@myregularface) January 18, 2017
It’s a greasy play from Kreider. Swinging someone’s helmet at them during a fight is dangerous and stupid no matter how angry you are. Kreider is lucky Eakin didn’t get hit harder and knocked out cold, otherwise, he would face a certain suspension.
The CBA is what it is, so it’s hard to knock the $5,000 fine as being too little, as it’s the maximum the league could fine Kreider. Obviously, the intent and helmet-swing were malicious, so in a perfect world Kreider would be suspended. While $5,000 is the maximum, it is peanuts to a player making millions per season.
Hopefully, Kreider learns his lesson and doesn’t swing helmets at opponents in a fight. It’s dirty. This is warning number one. If it happens again, he’ll have to sit a few games.
