Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ian Cole has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for kneeing Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred at the 1:50 mark of the first period of Thursday’s 5–0 Lightning win over the Avalanche at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Cogliano briefly left the game but eventually returned; he ultimately logged 13:04 of ice time in the contest.
Cole, 33, is currently on a one-year contract with the Lightning worth $3 million. His $5,000 fine payment will go to the NHL Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
The St. Louis Blues originally selected Cole in the first round (No. 18 overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound left-handed defenseman has played for the Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes and Lightning during his 13-season NHL career, winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Through 48 games with the Lightning this season, Cole has recorded three goals and 14 points while averaging 19:11 per night. Cole and the Lightning will return to action on Saturday to take on the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
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