Colorado Avalanche defenceman Josh Manson has been fined $5,000, the maximum under the collective bargaining agreement, by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, for butt-ending Minnesota Wild forward Michael McCarron.
Colorado’s Josh Manson has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for butt-ending Minnesota’s Michael McCarron.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 12, 2026
Midway through the first period of Game 4 on Monday night between the two teams, Manson and McCarron got tangled up along the boards with both players hitting the ice.
McCarron landed on top of Manson with the blueliner getting the butt end of his stick into McCarron’s head. Manson was given a double-minor penalty for butt-ending.
Minnesota scored on the power play as Danila Yurov gave the Wild a 1-0 lead but the Avalanche would go on to win 5-2 to take a 3-1 series lead.
McCarron, who has four points in 10 playoff games, expressed his displeasure during the intermission in an ESPN interview with PK Subban.
“You’ve played against Josh [Manson], he’s a dirty player,” said McCarron. “He’s always been. Surprised he got away with only a four minute. I’m happy he’s still in the game.”
Manson responded after the game to McCarron calling him a dirty player.
“That’s fine if he wants to call me a dirty player,” said Manson. “You can just look at my history. I mean, it’s been 13 years and I haven’t been suspended yet so obviously I’m not that dirty. You know what I mean? I think that there are other guys in the league that are doing more.
“But was that the cleanest play? No. I mean was it purposeful? No, it wasn’t purposeful either. Like I said, I served my time. They scored on it so I mean it benefited them. That’s his perspective.”
Manson has two assists in four games while averaging 12:57 minutes per game.
