The Tampa Bay Lightning and coach Jon Cooper were hit with significant penalties from the NHL following their actions in a preseason game against the Florida Panthers. The league fined the team $100,000 and penalized Coach Cooper an additional $25,000.
The total amount was levied by the NHL Hockey Operations department due to “their actions culminating in the events of” the highly contentious matchup as reported by Frank Seravelli. The league stated that the entire sum collected from both the organization and the coach will be directed toward various charitable causes.
It is worth remembering that the preseason matchup was disastrous for both teams: 16 players were ejected, and a stunning total of 312 penalty minutes were reported—a level of chaos almost never seen during a preseason game. With the fines against the Lightning and Coach Cooper, the NHL clearly sought to be as tough as possible.
It should be noted that those were not the only penalties issued. As reported by Chris Johnston, four additional Lightning players were heavily disciplined: Goncalves was fined $3.1 million and Schmidt $2 million, while Sabourin was suspended for 4 games and Moser for 2 games.
Players Weigh In on Panthers-Lightning Brawl
Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues acknowledged the chaotic nature of the preseason brawl between the two rivals, admitting that the level of play devolved quickly. Rodrigues conceded that the action “got silly. It got stupid by the end of it,” adding critically that “it wasn’t really hockey out there.”
The Panthers were tipped off about the potential for chaos when the Lightning called up several players, prompting Eetu Luostarinen to say, “It made you think there might be something coming.” Meanwhile, Cooper suggested the melee was overdue, commenting: “I can’t believe it’s taken this long for something like that to happen.”