Gabriel, Boughner fined for pregame altercation
SAN JOSE >> San Jose Sharks coach Bob Boughner and forward Kurtis Gabriel were slapped with fines by the NHL on Tuesday for an altercation that took place prior to the team’s game with the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
During pregame warmups, Gabriel skated parallel to the red line at center ice and cross-checked Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, his former teammate in junior hockey, in the back.
That level of physical contact between opposing players during pregame warmups is frowned upon by the NHL, which fined Gabriel $3,017.24, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and Boughner $5,000.
Gabriel said the incident was “reactionary” and that he was not the instigator.
“But that can’t happen anymore,” Gabriel said, “and as far as I’m concerned, there won’t be another team on the ice for warm-up. I’ll be focused on hyping myself and my boys and be ready to play.”
In addition, the Sharks were assessed a conditional fine of $25,000, which will be collected — in addition to any subsequent discipline — in the event of similar inappropriate behavior through one year, or until March 22, 2022. The fine money goes to the NHL Foundation.
In a statement, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said, “While we want our players to play hard, it has to be done within the context of the game and whistle to whistle. We agree with the League’s assessment that these altercations are not acceptable and we do not condone this type of pre-game interaction. The League has made it clear that these types of actions will not be tolerated and we have addressed it internally.”
After the pregame incident, Gabriel and MacDermid fought at the 10:52 mark of the first period and received five-minute majors. Gabriel, 27, and MacDermid, 26, were teammates with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons from 2011 to 2014, although Gabriel said the two are not friends.
The Sharks and Kings teams play again at SAP Center tonight, although Gabriel may not dress for the game. Boughner said he has to see who is available after the team skates in the morning before he finalizes a decision but added, “internally we want to make sure that we handle this properly.”
Boughner said he did not know about the incident between Gabriel and MacDermid until after the game, which the Sharks won 2-1.
“He plays on the edge, with a ton of passion,” Boughner said of Gabriel. “But it’s got to be controlled.”
Gabriel received a 10-minute misconduct in the third period of the Sharks’ game with the St. Louis Blues last Friday for something he said while he was sitting on the bench. Boughner scratched him for the following night’s game with St. Louis.
Gabriel has played in 10 games for the Sharks this season. He has 36 penalty minutes and has averaged 7:44 of ice time per game.
“He can have a nice career in this league, and he’s got to keep it between the whistles,” Boughner said of Gabriel. “Not happy about being fined, obviously, but the league has made its decision we respect it, we agree with it, and it’s not going to happen again under my watch.”
Before previous Sharks games this month, Gabriel has spoken to the opposing team’s leading tough guy, including Ryan Reaves of the Vegas Golden Knights on March 5 and Kyle Clifford of the St. Louis Blues on March 8, in pregame warmups.
But the conversations, while intense, never reached that level of physicality, although Clifford did shove Gabriel prior to the Sharks’ game with the Blues on March 8. Gabriel later fought both players.