PTO Forward For The Blues Makes Costly Mistake

After bouncing around the league the last few seasons 27 year old Ritchie is looking to earn a contract with the Blues after signing a PTO contract before training camp.

The Blues were taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets in preseason action but unfortunately for Ritchie he made a mistake that earned him a game misconduct, and ended his night early.

During the second period of Tuesday's game between the Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets, Ritchie dropped the mitts with Josh Dunne. Ritchie got the better of Dunne, landing several strong blows, but at the end of the tilt, his jersey and shoulder pads came completely off, revealing that he didn't tie down his fight strap. Because his fight strap was not tied down, not only did Ritchie receive a five-minute major for dropping the gloves, he was also handed a game misconduct.

Per the NHL's rule book, 46.13 states the following:

I highly doubt Ritchie will be making the mistake of not tying down his fight strap again. It turns out to be a costly mistake for a player scratching and clawing to remain in the NHL.