The on-ice officials didn’t catch the infraction, but the NHL has ensured that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot would be punished nonetheless. The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined Chiarot $5,000 for spearing New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec. That’s the maximum allowable fine under the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

NEWS: #LGRW D Ben Chiarot has been fined $5,000 (max allowable under CBA) for spearing #NJDevils D Simon Nemec. pic.twitter.com/fscNm4EBRK

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) November 25, 2025

The incident occurred with just over six minutes left in the third period in Monday’s game. As the two teams were engaging in a scrum of the Devils’ net, Chiarot speared Nemec. Chiarot was not penalized on the play. New Jersey won the game 4-3.

In reality, Chiarot got off lucky. During the scrum, he put his stick behind his back and drove the butt end of the stick into Nemec, out of the sightline of the officials. Butt-ending a player is punishable from anywhere to a major penalty, up to a match penalty if the player on the receiving end of the butt end is injured.

Not The First Time Red Wings’ Chiarot Has Been In Trouble

Another stroke of good fortune for Chiarot is that previous infractions have a shelf life. Eight years ago to the day on November 25, 2017, Chiarot, then with the Winnipeg Jets, was fined $3,763.44 – at the time the maximum allowable under the CBA – for butt-ending then-Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry in the chin during a November 24, 2017 game.

Crazy how much Corey Perry’s chin resembles the outline of #nhljets Ben Chiarot’s butt-end. #NHL is reviewing the incident. No call on play, could’ve been a match penalty. Perry needed 20 stitches, including some below top layer of skin. pic.twitter.com/VfWOzNbwqz

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 25, 2017

Perry was seriously injured in that instance. He required 20 stitches to repair the damage done to his chin.

Fortunately for Chiarot, the statute of limitations on that infraction has expired. Thus, it couldn’t be factored into this ruling.