NHL fines Konopka $2500 for chirping, Senators $10k for shenanigans

File this under "curious."

The NHL just fined point-per-game player Zenon Konopka $2500 for chirping Brian Boyle during an interview before Saturday night's game between the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers. I assume Konopka informed Boyle that he was going to fight someone, although he may have used colourful language. The take-home message here for me, though, is that a little pre-game chirping is tantamount to grabbing and smashing another player's face into the glass.

It's hard to get too upset about this in isolation, because $2500 is fairly insignificant to someone who takes home $700,000 a year, but given the fact that it's equal to the fine assessed to Shea Weber for his indiscretion in dealing with Henrik Zetterberg, it's laughable.

(Here's my guess: The Sens pass a hat around their dressing room before tonight's game, and raise the $2500 to pay for Konopka's fine.)

The Senators were also fined $10,000 for his conduct. Which is similarly mind-boggling, but it raises one very interesting question: How much are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers going to pay for their nonsense last night?