Children’s Hospital Flooded With Donations From NHL Fans Who Sent Ryan Hartman Money To Pay A Fine

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• NHL fans helped raised tens of thousands of dollars for a children’s hospital in Minnesota
• The movement began after Ryan Hartman received a flood of donations to pay the fine he received for flipping off Evander Kane
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You don’t have to look too hard to find evidence that the internet can be a terrible place filled with terrible people who take pleasure in doing terrible things, but it can also serve as an incredibly powerful tool that allows people around the world to rally around an equally admirable cause.

A few years ago, the loveable scoundrels that comprise Bills Mafia thanked Andy Dalton for helping the team make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years by flooding the quarterback’s charity with donations. That marked the start of an awesome trend that a number of other fanbases have drawn inspiration from—including plenty of NHL fans who recently got in on the action.

Earlier this week, Minnesota Wild winger Ryan Hartman got hit with a $4,250 fine for throwing a middle finger in the direction of Evander Kane after the notorious pest instigated a heated scrum. On Wednesday, Hartman discovered his Venmo was being flooded with donations from people who were willing to chip in to help him pay it off—including Kane’s ex-wife—and he seized on the opportunity to harness the movement for a great cause.

On Thursday, Hartman announced he’d be paying the fine out of pocket and said any money he received would be donated to Children’s Minnesota, a pediatric hospital located in the Twin Cities.

On Friday morning, Hartman revealed he’d received over $20,000 with around nine hours to go before the 7 PM deadline he set, and it appears a massive check will be headed to Children’s Minnesota when everything is said and done.

Say what you will about Evander Kane, but at least he inadvertently managed to do something good for once.