NHL Player Safety Fines Joe Thornton For Slashing

NHL Player Safety has fined Joe Thornton $1,875 for slashing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Boris Katchouk.

Florida’s Joe Thornton has been fined $1,875.00, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Slashing Tampa Bay’s Boris Katchouk.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 20, 2021

In Tuesday's night game against the Lightning, Thornton speared Katchouk below the belt. Before he did this, Katchouk bumped into him while the Panthers and Lightning were fighting for the puck against the boards. Clearly this angered Thornton and led him to make the dirty play. Following the play, he only received a two minute minor for slashing.

Thornton has done this before, as he previously speared then St. Louis Blues forward Paul Stastny back in 2017. On this specific play, he actually received a game misconduct.

The $1,875 fine is the maximum allowed under the CBA for slashing, but should the 42-year-old center been handed a suspension as well? It 's the type of play hockey fans do not like seeing. Let us know in the comments!