- Mathieu Olivier was fined $5,000, the maximum allowed under the CBA, for slashing Uvis Balinskis
- The incident came in the second period of Florida’s 7-3 win in Columbus on Tuesday
- Read below for Olivier’s apology and the details of the fine
Mathieu Olivier won’t be suspended, but he will pay for it.
The NHL Department of Player Safety fined the Blue Jackets forward $5,000 on Wednesday for slashing Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis. That is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, and the money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Here’s the word on the fine:
The incident happened at 13:37 of the second period on Tuesday night. Olivier was handed a major penalty and a game misconduct, which we covered right after it happened. Florida scored on the five-minute power play on its way to a 7-3 win.
Check out the play that got him tossed:
Olivier talked after the game about what he was thinking when he swung his stick.
“I can sit here and try to rationalize it all I want with you,” Olivier said. “I don’t even have an explanation for it. It looked bad. It was bad, and that’s on me.”
The 29-year-old, who was named an alternate captain this season, also apologized to his teammates for putting them in that spot. He said it has happened a couple times this year and that he needs to “look in the mirror and figure it out.”
Balinskis stayed in the game and was fine. Panthers coach Paul Maurice joked afterward that “he’s gonna be okay, just a tough flight home.”
Our own post on the fine had the news out right as the league announced it:
Columbus now sits at 2-3-0 after the loss. Olivier has two goals in five games this season.
