Red Wings’ Ben Chiarot fined for butt-ending Devils’ Simon Nemec

A veteran blueliner is shelling out some cash for his recent actions.

On Tuesday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot has been fined $5,000 for butt-ending New Jersey Devils defender Simon Nemec.

The incident occurred in the latter half of the third period in what was a fairly chippy game between the two teams on Monday night. During a post-whistle scrum, Chiarot, who was tangled with a couple of players, including Devils forward Timo Meier, took his stick and jammed it into Nemec, who was behind Chiarot in the dust-up.

The play went unnoticed by the officials, as Chiarot got away with the maneuver. Despite numerous scuffles and questionable play from both sides, only 40 minutes in penalties were handed out in the game. The Devils managed to hang on for a 4-3 win, which ended with Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin partaking in a wrestling match with Devils forward Jesper Bratt.

The fine is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

This isn’t the first time Chiarot has faced supplemental discipline in his NHL career. As a member of the Florida Panthers, the Hamilton, Ont. native was fined $5,000 for head-butting then-Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In total, Chiarot has been fined three times in his 12-year career, twice when he was with the Winnipeg Jets.

This season, Chiarot has played in all 23 of Detroit’s games, scoring two goals and four assists for six points. He has a plus/minus of +3 while averaging just under 21 minutes of ice time per game.

The Red Wings (13-9-1) are set to host the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night.