Jacob Trouba only fined $5,000 for taking baseball swing at Trent Frederic's head
BOSTON -- The realm of NHL discipline is a strange, strange place. But this one may be the strangest one yet.
The NHL's department of player safety reviewed video of Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba taking a full two-hand swing with his stick and hitting Bruins forward Trent Frederic directly in the head. The NHL's department of player safety then ... decided to issue a $5,000 fine to the Rangers' captain for the offense.
NY Rangers’ Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for High-sticking Boston’s Trent Frederic.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 26, 2023
While the fine may have been the maximum allowed under the CBA in this case, many were left wondering why a two-handed baseball swing at an opponent's head would not warrant a suspension.
Watching the play, it's easy to see why:
Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for high sticking Trent Frederic pic.twitter.com/Vpmk5P4T9K
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 26, 2023
It was Marty McSorley, only with a bigger windup.
The key difference, though, was that Frederic wasn't left injured. So Trouba was issued a fine that amounts to .06 percent of his $8 million salary.
Still, by only issuing a fine, the NHL department of player safety has set the precedent that a wild swing of a stick at an opponent's head will only bring about a slap on the wrist for the offending party.
That's wild. But again, when it comes to the NHL's disciplinary decisions, we've come to expect nothing less.