Mathieu Olivier got himself into some hot water after putting his hockey stick somewhere it does not belong: Uvis Balinskis‘ crotch.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety fined Olivier $5,000, the maximum allowed under the CBA, for “slashing” Balinskis where the sun doesn’t shine. The punishment comes on top of Olivier receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct in Wednesday’s game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers.
Olivier was upset by Balinskis after the two engaged in a board battle, and he struck the Panthers defender after they disengaged and Balinskis turned his back to Olivier.
Mathieu Olivier slashes Uvis Balinskis in the nether regions
The Panthers scored a power-play goal on the ensuing five-minute advantage, extending their lead to 4-1. Florida ended up 7-3 victors after regulation, with marquee offseason addition Brady Tkachuk recording a natural hat trick in the second period.
Olivier, named an alternate captain ahead of the season, apologized postgame for the penalty to his teammates.
“I can sit here and try to rationalize it all I want with you,” Olivier said. “I don’t even have an explanation for it. It looked bad. It was bad, and that’s on me. I apologize to my teammates for putting them in that spot, and it’s happened a couple times this year. It’s usually not what I do, but it’s been happening, so I need to look in the mirror and figure it out. That’s all on me.”
Balinskis was not injured on the play and returned to the ice shortly after making sure his family jewels were still intact.
“He’s gonna be okay, just a tough flight home,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice joked.
Olivier’s penalty and subsequent fine just added insult to injury as the Blue Jackets also got reamed by their head coach, Rick Bowness, for their overall effort in the loss.
“You have to hope, you got to believe that performance tonight will embarrass them enough to stop this, right?” Bowness said. “Because if they’re not embarrassed by that, we don’t want them on the team. It’s as simple as that.”
With the loss, the Blue Jackets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, fell to 2-3-0 on the season.
Full details of the fine from the NHL:
Blue Jackets’ Olivier Fined for Slashing
NEW YORK (Oct. 14, 2026) – Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slashing Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis during NHL Game No. 91 in Columbus on Tuesday, Oct. 13, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 13:37 of the second period. Olivier was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for slashing.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
