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Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness fined $25K for stick-swinging tirade

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The NHL fined Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness $25,000 for his stick-swinging tirade after a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

The league said in a statement Monday that Bowness' fine money will be paid to the NHL Foundation. It remains unclear whether Bowness will appeal the NHL's decision.

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Bowness grabbed a stick and angrily swung it twice inside the Stars' bench area after watching the Blues rally with two power-play goals in the final minute of regulation following questionable officiating during Sunday's game.

Blues forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Jordan Kyrou scored 18 seconds apart to give St. Louis the 2-1 victory.

Bowness was primarily frustrated by a missed penalty call on Blues forward Brayden Schenn, who appeared to grab the stick of Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen and tripped him up before O'Reilly's tying goal with 47 seconds remaining.

After being taken down and before O'Reilly's goal, Heiskanen slashed Kyrou and received a delayed penalty. The Blues scored the game-winning goal on the ensuing power play.

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O'Reilly scored with Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa in the penalty box for a hooking infraction that he took with 1:52 left in the third period. Since Heiskanen's delayed penalty was called while the Stars were a man down, Heiskanen replaced Hakanpaa in the box after O'Reilly's score.

"If you're watching the game, you saw what happened," Bowness told reporters after the game. "They clearly pulled Miro down. Clearly grabbed his stick and pulled him down. That's my opinion. They got lucky."

The loss halted the Stars' four-game winning streak. It was the fourth victory in five games for the Blues.

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