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Sharks HC Fined for Inappropriate Conduct

The head coach of the San Jose Sharks was fined by the league for inappropriate conduct.

Jacob Punturi

Nov 2, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky watches the game against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky watches the game against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
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Ryan Warsofsky, the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, was not pleased following the team's loss to the Utah Hockey Club in a recent contest. The third period of the matchup became an extremely physical one, and there were a few questionable hits delivered on Sharks' players Mikael Granlund and Macklin Celebrini that had the entire team and their coach fired up. He made that perfectly clear in his post-game comments regarding the outcome of the game.

As a result of his actions on the ice or possibly his post-game comments, the Sharks' coach was fined by the NHL a total of $25,000 for what the league deemed "inappropriate conduct." The inappropriate conduct he was fined for took place during the team's game against the Utah Hockey Club, according to NHL insider David Pagnotta.

With news of the fine breaking, team reporter Sheng Peng asked the Sharks' coach about discipline handed down by the NHL, and Warsofsky confirmed the fine being related to the game against Utah. He also confirmed that the fine was regarding the officiating in the contest, but declined to give any more specifics.

"Warsofsky confirms the fine was related to Saturday's officiating," Peng wrote. "But (he) didn't want to elaborate past that."

In his post-game chat with reporters, Warsofsky didn't vocalize any clear criticisms or complaints against the referees and linesmen that worked the game. Instead he focused most of his comments on his own team and their issues on the ice. So it stands to reason that whatever incident the league is fining him for occurred during the game. When the NHL announced the fine, they didn't include any videos of an incident or explanation for why the fine had been handed down. It should also be noted that Warsofsky never received any penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct during the game and never received any sort of ejection or warning from the officiating, so it's a mystery what exactly got Warsofsky into trouble with the league.

Warsofsky is in his first season as the head coach in San Jose. The team is learning under their rookie head coach, and their young lineup is having an up-and-down campaign. The Sharks are 11-17-5 through 33 games and sit in seventh place in the Pacific Division.

The good news for Warsofsky and the Sharks is their future is bright. Rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini is having an excellent year and the rest of the organization is littered with more talent arriving soon. In the meantime, their head coach will try to avoid any further fines or incidents.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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