Most penalty minutes in the Stanley Cup Final: Matthew Tkachuk misconducts bring him closer to dubious history

Nick Brinkerhoff

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Most penalty minutes in the Stanley Cup Final: Matthew Tkachuk misconducts bring him closer to dubious history image

Matthew Tkachuk is looking to help Florida make history, as the team is in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final on the hunt for the Panthers' first championship. 

In the process, Tkachuk is making some history of his own. 

Vegas has jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, winning in convincing fashion at home in the desert before splitting the next two games in Florida. The Panthers have tried to get under the Golden Knights' skin, but have been unsuccessful to this point.

In turn, their physical style has only backfired, handing Vegas plenty of opportunities to cash in on the power play. 

Now, the injuries and penalty minutes are piling up with Florida searching for answers as the series shifts back to South Florida. 

MORE: Vegas closing in on first Stanley Cup after Game 4 victory

To win this series, the Panthers need Tkachuk to spend more time on the ice— not watching Florida on television like the rest of us. And they'll also have to hope that what happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas. 

The Sporting News looks at where the Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk ranks in the history books when it comes to the most penalty minutes in a Stanley Cup Final series. 

Most penalty minutes in a Stanley Cup Final series

Only four games are in the books so far, but Tkachuk is making his own bid for history — already cracking the top 10 list of most penalty minutes in a Stanley Cup Final series.

As it stands, he's already captured the lead for the most since 1986. Now it's just about trying to catch Mel Bridgman's record that he set with the Flyers against the Islanders in 1979-80. 

Below is the full list of penalty minute leaders, per QuantHockey.com.

Rank Player (Team) Season Games Penalty Minutes
1 Mel Bridgman (PHI) 1979-80 6 53
2 Matthew Tkachuk (FLA) 2022-23 4 50
3 Chris Nilan (MTL) 1985-86 3 49
4 Tim Hunter (CGY) 1985-85 5 43
5 Kevin McClelland (EDM) 1984-85 5 41
  Wayne Cashman (BOS) 1973-74 6 41
  Jimmy Orlando (DET)  1941-42 7 41
8 Dave Schultz (PHI) 1973-74 6 38
9 Jim Peplinski (CGY) 1985-86 5 37
10 Eddie Gerard (OTT) 1920-21 5 36
  Keith Magnuson (CHI) 1970-71 7 36

MORE: NHL misconduct penalty, explained: What to know about one of the more uncommon infractions in hockey

Matthew Tkachuk misconducts

Through the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk has been called for five minor penalties and four misconducts — two of them coming in the third period of Game 2, ending his night. 

Here is every misconduct Tkachuk has been given during the series:

Game 1, third period

The first 10-minute penalty handed out to Tkachuk came in the third period of Game 1 after he was caught punching Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague after the play was over.

Game 2, second period

The second Tkachuk misconduct of the series, and first of Game 2, came at the end of the second period after his big hit on Jack Eichel. The penalty was given for the extracurriculars that happened after the hit, not because of it. 

Tkachuk defended his hit after the game while talking to reporters.

"They might have thought that game was a little bit out of reach maybe in the second period, but we certainly didn’t," he said. "We’ve scored seven goals in a period before. You never know in playoffs."

Eichel came to Tkachuk's defense and said that the hit was "clean" and that he had just toe-picked at the wrong time on the play. Eichel was able to play in the third period, so the kerfuffle ultimately was much ado about nothing.

Game 2, third period

Tkachuk was finally tossed from Game 2 with yet another misconduct that ended his night after knocking Vegas center Michael Amadio's stick out of his hand.

Game 4, third period

Tkachuk hardly played in the final period of Game 4, but he was one of the main reasons why the end of the contest resulted in an all-out brawl. With Vegas successfully holding off Florida's comeback attempt, the frustration boiled over as the buzzer rang, resulting in plenty of punches, shoves and slashes. 

Tkachuk received two minor penalties, one for slashing and one for unsportsmanlike conduct, while also receiving another misconduct. 

Nick Brinkerhoff

Nick Brinkerhoff Photo

Nick Brinkerhoff is a content producer at The Sporting News covering the NFL, NBA and other sports. A proud New Jerseyan, Nick is also a graduate of Rutgers University. He is always in the mood for a good joke, the day’s best bets, or a debate about the mediocrity of the New York sports scene.