Oilers defenseman hit with $10,000 fine after chaotic Stanley Cup Final fight night led to 6 ejections
After a number of fists and game misconducts in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, a further punishment has been handed down.
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman was fined a total of $10,000 for both punching Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers in the face, and squirting water on the Florida bench.
Tkachuk was held down by John Klinberg while Walman wailed at him.
Tkachuk is no stranger to getting into bouts on the biggest stage. As a member of Team USA, he dropped the gloves at the opening faceoff of the 4 Nations game against Canada (his brother, Brady, fought his own Panthers teammate, Sam Bennett).
So, when things got chippy during the Panthers' blowout of the Oilers, Tkachuk was prepared.
"We talked about it in the third. If you have to take a punch in the face, take a punch in the face. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check. Spear, slash in the face, whatever the case is, you've got to take it," Tkachuk said after the contest.
There were 140 penalty minutes in the contest, the fourth-most in Stanley Cup Final history. Walman's fine was the only one handed out.
The game was already 5-1 in favor of Florida when things were getting more aggressive on the ice. It reached a different level when Edmonton forward Trent Frederic started to pick on Bennett to the point where he cross-checked him down to the ice. Bennett retaliated with some punches as he got on top of Frederic.
That initial fight led every player on the ice to find a partner to duel with, and the referees simply let the brawl play itself out. The Oilers' Darnell Nurse and the Panthers' Jonah Gadjovich clutched each other's sweaters and were throwing haymakers, while Florida's A.J. Greer dueled with Edmonton's Mattias Ekholm.
After the fights fizzled out, Nurse, Godjovich, Bennett, Frederic, Greer and Ekholm were all called for game misconducts and sent off the ice for the remainder of the game.
However, with nearly half of the third period still to play, the tension between these two teams vying for the Lord Stanley's Cup did not stop. It mainly came from the Oilers, as Evander Kane was sent off the ice for the night after slashing Carter Verhaeghe in the face while he was down on the ice.
More penalties would be had as the clock kept ticking down, and at that point, both teams were just hoping no one would get hurt with much of this series left to play. Even at the final buzzer, Oilers star Corey Perry started jousting with multiple Panthers players, as fans threw debris onto the ice.
The Final continues on Thursday, with Florida, the reigning champs, hosting Game 4 and holding all the momentum. After Edmonton won Game 1 in overtime, Brad Marchand found the back of the net in double overtime in Game 2 to even up the series.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Fans don't appear to be snatching up tickets to the Club World Cup
If slashed ticket prices, closed stadium sections and moved seats are any indication, fans aren't exactly clamoring to attend the Club World Cup. The tournament opens Saturday with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami facing Al Ahly at Florida's Hard Rock Stadium. Thirty-two teams are taking part in the newly expanded tournament that will be played across 11 U.S. cities. The final is set for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On Ticketmaster, FIFA's official ticketing partner for the Club World Cup, the least expensive tickets to the opener were $349 in December. As of Thursday, there were tickets available for just under $80. Upper deck seats for certain games at Seattle's Lumen Field and Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field were no longer available. Links to a smattering of resale tickets in those sections did not work. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press that some sections of Lumen Field in Seattle had been closed, but did not offer details. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak on the record. In Philadelphia, some ticketholders received messages that said they were moved. 'As we continue preparations to deliver a world-class event, we are making a few enhancements inside the stadium to optimize operations and ensure the best possible matchday experience for fans, players and the global broadcast audience,' the message said. 'As a result of these stadium optimizations, some seats, including yours, will be relocated. We want to ensure you that your new seat will be in the same or better value zone than your original one.' Ticketmaster used dynamic pricing for ticket sales, which is based on demand and other factors. They referred all questions about sales to FIFA. FIFA did not respond to questions about whether sections were closed due to slow ticket sales, or whether fans who originally bought tickets in those sections were moved or offered refunds. But soccer's international governing body did offer a general statement. 'We anticipate great attendances and electric atmospheres at its inaugural edition, with excitement growing with every round of matches and the tournament ultimately standing as the undisputed pinnacle of club world football,' the statement said in part. 'The appetite speaks for itself: fans from over 130 countries have already purchased tickets. The top 10 markets are led by the United States, followed by Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, France, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal — a clear sign of global anticipation and reach.' With 32 international teams, there are undoubtedly some clubs that are unfamiliar to American audiences. There are also 63 total matches, meaning not all can occur in prime hours for fans. Argentine club River Plate is playing Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field on Tuesday at noon local time ($24 tickets), while a noon game between Brazil's Fluminense and Germany's Borussia Dortmund had tickets available via Ticketmaster for $23. However, some matches were drawing fans, including Paris Saint-Germain's opener against Atletico Madrid on Sunday at the Rose Bowl, where the least expensive seats were $100. The least expensive ticket for July's tournament final available through Ticketmaster was $769. FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged fans to buy tickets at a hype event in the leadup to the tournament this week. 'Be part of history,' he said. 'Football is such an important sport all over the world. We have billions of people watching this Club World Cup from home who would love to club and to attend.' ___ AP soccer:
Los Angeles Times
32 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Connor Hellebuyck wins NHL's MVP award; Kings' Anze Kopitar wins Lady Byng award
Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck has won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender, becoming the first at the position to do so since Carey Price a decade ago. Hellebuyck was unveiled as the top MVP vote-getter on an awards show Thursday night prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, hosted by actor and former Arizona State wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa. Kings captain Anze Kopitar won the Lady Byng for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct for a third time. Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl finished second in the Hart voting and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov third, a single point ahead of Colorado's reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon, as chosen by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Hellebuyck was a landslide winner of the Vezina as picked by general managers, receiving 31 of 32 first-place votes. Hellebuyck won the Vezina for a second year in a row and for the third time in his career. He backstopped the Jets to the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season and the William Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed before losing in the second round of the playoffs to Dallas. Price was the last to pull off the Hart-Vezina double in 2015. Hellebuyck is just the sixth goalie to do it, joining Price, Jose Theodore in 2002, Dominik Hasek in 1997 and '98 and Jacques Plante in '62. Kucherov, the Art Ross Trophy winner for leading all scorers with 122 points this season, was also chosen for the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player, as voted on by his peers. The Russian winger was MVP in 2019 when the Lightning finished atop the standings. Draisaitl, the Rocket Richard Trophy recipient for scoring a league-high 52 goals, won the Hart in 2020 after the season was cut short by the pandemic. He became the first German player to be MVP. A majority of the awards were already presented over the past few weeks, given out as surprises for the first time with no advanced notice. Colorado's Cale Makar got the Norris as the top defenseman, Florida's Aleksander Barkov the Selke as the best defensive forward and Washington's Spencer Carbery the Jack Adams as coach of the year.
Miami Herald
42 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Miami Dolphins legend Jason Taylor to bang Panthers drum at Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers reportedly are going to a Hall of Famer to bang the drum before Game 4 of their Stanley Cup Final series against the Edmonton Oilers. Jason Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman who played most of his career with the Miami Dolphins and is now the defensive ends coach with the Miami Hurricanes, is slated to get the crowd going prior to opening faceoff on Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena, as reported by WSVN. Taylor, a third-round pick out of Akron in the 1997 NFL Draft, played 15 seasons in the NFL — 13 of which were with the Dolphins. In 233 career games (199 starts), he had 774 tackles, 139.5 sacks, 46 forced fumbles, 29 fumble recoveries, six fumbles returned for touchdown, eight interceptions and three interceptions returned for touchdown. He was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 after logging 13.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and a pair of pick-sixes. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, the first year he was eligible. Taylor will be the third person with Dolphins ties to bang the drum this playoff run, after tight end Jonnu Smith took part in Game 4 of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning and defensive lineman Zach Sieler did it in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes. The running list of those who have banged the drum this postseason: ▪ First round vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Inter Miami midfielder Banjamin Cremaschi (Game 3) and Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (Game 4) ▪ Second round vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Boca Raton-based social media personalities A.J. and Big Justice, former Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (Game 4) and former Marlins catcher Charles Johnson (Game 6) ▪ Eastern Conference final vs Carolina Hurricanes: rapper Trick Daddy (Game 3) and Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler (Game 4) ▪ Stanley Cup Final vs Edmonton Oilers: Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (Game 3) and Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame defensive lineman/Miami Hurricanes assistant coach Jason Taylor (Game 4).
