Steven Stamkos punished by NHL player safety for 'unsportsmanlike conduct'

The Nashville Predators took on the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night, and for the most part, the game went exactly as expected, with Vegas picking up the dominant 7-2 victory.

However, things got particularly chippy throughout this game, with both teams showing their physicality in a game that was much more competitive than some expected, even with the end scoreline.

On Sunday, it was announced by the NHL's Department of Player Safety that Predators veteran Steven Stamkos was fined the maximum allowable amount for a move that many may have missed during the game.

According to the release on social media, the fine was due to 'unsportsmanlike conduct', and in the slow motion video posted to social media, it's easy to see the motion that got him that fine.

When Jeremy Lauzon laid out a hit that took him close to Nashville's bench, it was a small move but one that some missed, as Stamkos took his stick and hit Lauzon in the face with it, in a move that was completely unnecessary for a clean, legal hit.

Ultimately though, given the amount that some teams have gotten away with from the Department of Player Safety this year, it may have come as a shock to see Stamkos being fined for this move, and while it's one that he shouldn't have been doing, this fine is a little over the top, according to most fans.

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