I'm not sure I've seen anything like this before. Certainly not in a long time. Defenceman Ben Harpur was kicked out of an AHL game last night and may end up getting suspended after an intentional hit on goaltender Felix Sandstrom.
Ben Harpur is currently playing for the Hartford Wold Pack of the AHL. In a game against the Rochester Americans, Harpur hit netminder Felix Sandstrom into his net. There is no way to argue this was anything other than 100 percent intentional.
Officials decided an ejection was the right call on Ben Harpur. He was given a 5 minute major, and a game misconduct for charging.
But, there's more to this. Much more, in fact. As was stated several times on social media, the last time Felix Sandstrom and Ben Harpur faced each other, Harpur scored and then went hard into the boards on what he must believe was an intentional trip by Sandstrom. The result was a torn pectoral muscle, and Harpur missing the rest of the 2023-24 regular season.
There's yet to be any word on a possible suspension for Ben Harpur, but I'll be very surprised if he gets away without at least a fine on top of being kicked out of the game.
Ben Harpur currently on year two of a contract with the New York Rangers, but has played exclusively in the AHL so far in 2024-25. He's played a total of 198 regular season NHL games with the Rangers, Nashville Predators, and Ottawa Senators.
POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 9 | 124 ANSWERS Former New York Rangers Defenseman Kicked Out of Game for Viciously Trying to Injure Goaltender Do you think Ben Harpur deserves a suspension for his hit on goaltender Felix Sandstrom? | ||
Yes | 100 | 80.6 % |
No | 13 | 10.5 % |
I'm not sure | 11 | 8.9 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Jesper Bratt | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jack Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
Andre Burakovsky | 1 | - | 1 | |
Nic Dowd | 1 | - | 1 | |
Luke Hughes | 1 | - | 1 | |
Blake Lizotte | 1 | - | 1 | |
Timo Meier | 1 | - | 1 | |
Artemi Panarin | 1 | - | 1 | |
John Tavares | 1 | - | 1 | |
Shane Wright | 1 | - | 1 | |
Brenden Dillon | - | 1 | 1 | |
Vince Dunn | - | 1 | 1 | |
Cody Glass | - | 1 | 1 | |
Erik Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
Alexis Lafrenière | - | 1 | 1 | |
Matt Roy | - | 1 | 1 | |
Jaden Schwartz | - | 1 | 1 | |
Chris Tanev | - | 1 | 1 | |
Eeli Tolvanen | - | 1 | 1 | |
Vincent Trocheck | - | 1 | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Wild | 25 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 38 | |
Jets | 27 | 19 | 8 | - | 38 | |
Golden Knights | 27 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 37 | |
Capitals | 25 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 36 | |
Devils | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 36 | |
Hurricanes | 26 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 35 | |
Maple Leafs | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 34 | |
Panthers | 27 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 34 | |
Kings | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 33 | |
Stars | 25 | 16 | 9 | - | 32 | |
Conference | Cumulative |