MacKinnon fined $5K for tossing helmet at Coyotes' Garland

The NHL fined Colorado Avalanche superstar center Nathan MacKinnon $5,000 for throwing a helmet at Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland, the league's Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.

MacKinnon and Garland were engaged in a scrum near the end of Wednesday's one-sided Avs blowout. When Garland's helmet came loose, MacKinnon underhanded it back at him.

The Nova Scotia native received a 10-minute misconduct on the play and was ejected from the contest, marking the first time MacKinnon's been fined or suspended in his career since Scouting The Refs started keeping track in 2014-15 - the 25-year-old's sophomore season.

MacKinnon was last season's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy recipient, awarded to the player "adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." The former first overall pick had 12 penalty minutes in 69 games last year but 14 on Wednesday night.