It’s OK to cringe when you look at some of the physical abuse that Ryan Hartman has taken in the midst of the Wild’s first eight playoff games this season.
Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman, left, gets tangled up with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews while pursuing the puck in the third period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
If he worked in the real world and had taken a stick to the neck, a punch to the face or any of the hard hits along the boards that have been delivered to the Minnesota veteran, Hartman’s phone would probably be automatically connecting to the Wi-Fi every time he drove past an urgent care facility.
In previous years, the 31-year-old originally from Chicago might have lashed back when accosted on the ice. As recently as last season, he received a month-long suspension from the NHL for a penalized play in a game in Ottawa. After that, Wild management made it clear that he had no more room for error, and the maturity displayed in his game since then, especially come playoff time, has been a boost.
“I’ll take a puck to the face to win a game,” Hartman said before facing Colorado in Game 3 on Saturday night. “It doesn’t really matter to me.”
In Round 1 versus Dallas, Hartman got so far under the skin of one of the Stars’ standouts that Jamie Benn responded with a vicious crosscheck to Hartman’s neck, then pushed him to the ice, where Benn’s stick was weaponized a few more times. Bewilderingly, both men ended up in the penalty box, but the NHL came down on Benn for the play, fining him more than $2,600 for the dangerous play.
Those kind of plays have the Wild coaches praising Hartman for his maturity, in not taking the bait and retaliating with an act that might mean another lengthy suspension.
John Hynes saw it in the opening round of the playoffs last season as well, when Vegas went hard after Hartman starting in Game 1, clearly trying to provoke a reaction. Hartman didn’t take the bait then either, and he ended up with six points in the six games versus the Golden Knights.
“I think it’s the maturity of a player,” Hynes said before Game 3. “He’s such a hard player to play against. He plays the game right on the edge. He doesn’t go over the edge.”
In his two full seasons behind the Wild bench, Hynes has also seen an evolution in Hartman’s game, where he is able to play the game in the trenches, as well as centering the team’s top line and playing a vital role on special teams.
The most important dimension to Hartman’s game has been offense. He entered Saturday’s meeting with the Avalanche having posted six points in the first eight playoff games.
Ryan Hartman #38 of the Minnesota Wild is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal assistant coach during the first period in Game One of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 03, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“He finds ways to score, too. Like, Hartsy’s always ending up in the score sheet,” said Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt. “He does so much for us, and he shows up every night and competes. But I think when Hartsy’s at his best he’s, you know, in other teams’ faces and competing so hard, and finding ways to score, too.”
Originally committed to play college hockey at Miami of Ohio, Hartman switched gears and went the Canadian major junior route after learning the game in the Chicago suburbs.
He was a 2013 first-round pick by his hometown Blackhawks and began his NHL career there before stints with Nashville and Philadelphia. Signed by the Wild as a free agent in the summer of 2019, he has spent the past seven seasons in Minnesota, but the family still spends summers back in Illinois.
In the playoffs, he has clearly spent time getting in the heads of the Wild’s foes, and has ended up on the game summary sheet for goals, assists and eight penalties in the first eight games.
But the unsportsmanlike conduct call he received as a result of the attack by Benn is hard to fathom. In Game 1 versus Colorado, Hartman was called for holding Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar, and Makar responded with a punch to the face.
“He gets targets at times by certain teams and certain guys, and he doesn’t flinch,” Hynes said. “You know, he can take a Jamie Benn cross check to the head and, you know, wind up in the penalty box for no reason. And he’s the same guy. He’s the same player. And I’d say a year and a half ago, that wasn’t him.”
The Hartman playoff mantra seems to be, “stay calm, keep scoring.” There will be plenty of time to go to urgent care in June, if needed.
