During Monday night’s Game 4 of the second-round Stanley Cup playoff series between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild, veteran defenseman Josh Manson returned to the lineup and found himself on the ice after Wild forward Michael McCarron finished a check on him. As they fell, Manson, who had hold of McCarron’s head, appeared to jab the butt end of his stick into McCarron’s neck area.
According to the NHL rulebook, a butt-end is defined as “an action whereby a player uses the shaft of the stick, above the upper hand, to check an opposing player in any manner or jabs or attempts to jab an opposing player with this part of the stick.” McCarron immediately protested to the referees, leading officials Jean Hebert and Trevor Hanson to call a major penalty so they could review the play.
After an extended video review, the referees could not confirm that Manson actually made contact with the butt-end. They downgraded the major to a double minor penalty. NHL Rule 58.2 states that “a double-minor penalty will be imposed on a player who attempts to butt-end an opponent.” If the butt-end lands, per Rules 58.3 and 58.5, it becomes a mandatory major penalty and game misconduct.
Former NHL referee and ESPN rules analyst Dave Jackson explained to The Athletic, “There is a double minor for attempted butt-ending. If they cannot determine absolutely that the stick hit him but the attempt was made, then the double minor is the proper call.” This decision was rare—according to the NHL, it marked only the fourth time a double minor has been assessed for butt-ending since 2000 (regular season and playoffs combined).
The Wild failed to capitalize on the first half of the double minor, but during the second power play, rookie Danila Yurov redirected Brock Faber’s shot for his first career playoff goal, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead that they carried into the first intermission.
Speaking to ESPN between periods, McCarron was asked by P.K. Subban about the incident. “You played against Josh,” McCarron replied. “He’s a dirty player. He’s always been. Surprised he only got away with a four-minute. I’m happy he’s still in the game.”