Jonathan Toews gets misconduct for tossing stick into stands (GIF)
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews took a pretty rare 10-minute misconduct on Sunday when he unintentionally tossed a broken stick into the stands.
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Jonathan Toews doesn't get a lot of misconducts on the ice, a guy with a nickname like Captain Serious isn't known for losing his composure.
On Sunday against Boston, though, Toews earned himself a 10-minute misconduct for something you don't see everyday: throwing his stick into the crowd. Not that he did it intentionally, his stick snapped on a shot and he chucked it out of frustration. It just so happened to go over the boards and into the stands.
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Toews didn't seem to be aware he did anything wrong, giving the referee a look of bewilderment (and so did Bryan Bickell) when the Blackhawks bench was informed of what happened (via @GoldAndOrSmith).
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The Blackhawks may have been confused because it's not a call you see very often at all but the rules are the rules and this one is pretty clear in the rulebook.
53.4 Misconduct or Game Misconduct Penalty -- A misconduct penalty shall be imposed on a player who unintentionally or accidentally throws his stick or any part thereof or any other object or piece of equipment outside the playing area. If the offense is committed intentionally, a game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to the offending player. If the offense is committed in protest of an official's decision, a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct plus a game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to the offending player.
By the letter of the law, this one was called correctly. Toews wasn't assessed a minor penalty, just the 10-minute misconduct, so the Blackhawks didn't have a penalty to kill. In fact, in the time that Toews was in the box, the Blackhawks scored to even the game at 2-2. Regardless, not something you see all that often.
















