NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman’s suspension upon appeal but reduced the length from 10 games to eight on Monday.

After Hartman drove Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle face-first into the ice during a game Feb. 1, he was called for roughing and assessed a match penalty for intending to injure Stutzle. The action left Stutzle bloodied with a cut above his eyebrow.

Hartman was given a 10-game suspension two days later after a hearing. The 30-year-old had seven previous fines and four prior suspensions, but none longer than three games.

The NHL said Bettman heard Hartman’s appeal on Feb. 14, in which the NHL Players Association argued that the escalation from three games to 10 was too severe.

“Although I conclude that an escalation from Mr. Hartman’s prior three (3) game suspension to ten (10) games is not proportional here, I find that an eight (8) game suspension is both appropriate and supported by clear and convincing evidence,” Bettman wrote in his decision.

The commissioner said the eight-game suspension “should be sufficient to serve as an appropriate ‘wake-up call’ to Mr. Hartman, causing him to reevaluate his conduct on the ice and make positive changes to his game.”

The decision means Hartman is eligible to return for the Wild’s game at the Seattle Kraken on March 4.

Hartman has 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 48 games this season. In 11 NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and Wild, he has 135 goals and 160 assists in 628 games.

–Field Level Media