Wild fans donate $30K for Hartman’s fine, he’s giving it all to Children’s Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A donation of more than $30,000 to help sick children in the Twin Cities began with two things kids are taught not to do: curse words and the middle finger. 

Minnesota Wild winger Ryan Hartman got into an altercation on the ice with Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers at their game on Tuesday night. Words were exchanged and a bird was flipped, and Hartman was slapped with a $4,250 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct. 

Thousands of dollars in donations to cover the fine poured into Hartman’s Venmo account, totaling $30,500 by Friday night. But the cash won’t go toward the fine. Hartman will cover that with his own money, and the donations will go to the Urgent Needs fund at Children’s Minnesota.

"Every single child that comes through our walls and halls, regardless of their ability to pay, we take good care of them," said Children’s Minnesota Vice President of Philanthropy Joslyn Biever.  

The fund covers medical bills for families who need support, but also things like birthday parties for patients at the hospital. 

"Those are things you can’t put on a bill and those are the types of things that are really impactful for their childhood and those are the types of things that philanthropy powers," said Biever. 

This unexpected act of generosity, totaling more than $20,000, from fans and Hartman means more than just more money for the kids being treated inside the walls of the hospital. 

"When somebody like Ryan and our great wild players stand beside them and say, ‘We are here to support you’…that is something that really means a lot to the kids as they are going through these health journeys," said Biever. 

If you would like to make a donation to Children’s Minnesota, you can do so on their website.