Fans Flood Ryan Hartman's Venmo To Help Pay Fine For Flipping Off Evander Kane

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Wild forward Ryan Hartman is getting a lot of support for what the NHL deemed "unsportsmanlike conduct" during Tuesday night's game.

The league fined Hartman $4,250 for giving the middle finger to the Edmonton Oilers' Evander Kane after a fight. The fight was prompted by Kane's hit on the Wild's young superstar, Kirill Kaprizov.

Wild fans clearly disagree with the league's decision. After the fine was announced, Hartman's Venmo was inundated with payments to help cover it.

At a press conference, Harman said that as of Thursday afternoon, he had received nearly $7,000. He will be donating any money received by Friday at 7 p.m. to Children's Minnesota.

"I had to turn some notifications off," he said. "It's really taken off, it's awesome."

"Overwhelmed by the amount of donations I have received to help pay for my fine," Hartman said in a tweet. "You fans are amazing."

Hartman also asked that fans directly donate to Children's Minnesota.

Kane was suspended last season for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. He also had a publicly messy divorce, with his ex-wife accusing him of domestic abuse and alleging he gambled on NHL games. The league said its own investigation could not substantiate those claims.

Still, Kane's on- and off-ice transgressions have earned the ire of some NHL players and fans. Hartman alluded to as much in his postgame presser Tuesday.

"[Kane] gave Kirill a shot from behind on a very vulnerable spot," he said. "It goes to show, we had five guys in there, they didn't have one guy in there to help him. I don't think any of their guys are going to defend him."

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• NHL
• Minnesota Wild