Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Boston Bruins player Garnet Hathaway. It happened at 20:00 of the opening period. NHL Player Safety announced the news on Twitter, and it immediately sparked reactions from fans.B/R Open Ice@BR_OpenIceMatthew Tkachuk’s pockets will be a little bit lighter following this cross-check from Game 41201Matthew Tkachuk’s pockets will be a little bit lighter following this cross-check from Game 4 https://t.co/wfJiIrMr9oOne fan expressed concern that Tkachuk avoided suspension:"Matthew Tkachuk escapes a suspension for Game 5 in Boston after his crosscheck to Garnet Hathaway's ribs long after the 1st ended in Game 4. He'll be in the lineup for the Panthers against the Bruins."Boston Bruins Watcher@WatcherBruinsMatthew Tkachuk escapes a suspension for Game 5 in Boston after his crosscheck to Garnet Hathaway's ribs long after the 1st ended in Game 4. He'll be in the lineup for the Panthers against the Bruins twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafet…NHL Player Safety@NHLPlayerSafetyFlorida’s Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking against Boston’s Garnet Hathaway.8121Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking against Boston’s Garnet Hathaway.Matthew Tkachuk escapes a suspension for Game 5 in Boston after his crosscheck to Garnet Hathaway's ribs long after the 1st ended in Game 4. He'll be in the lineup for the Panthers against the Bruins twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafet…This sentiment was echoed by many fans who believed that Tkachuk should have received harsher punishment for his actions.Another fan named Len Berkowitz felt that the fine was not enough to deter Tkachuk from engaging in dangerous behavior on the ice:"Tkachuk should consider himself fortunate with the $5K fine, pretty much nothing."Len Berkowitz@lenberkowitz@RO_1096 Tkachuk should consider himself fortunate with the $5K fine, pretty much nothing.@RO_1096 Tkachuk should consider himself fortunate with the $5K fine, pretty much nothing.It is clear that many fans believe that more needs to be done to hold players accountable for their actions on the ice.However, not all fans were critical of Tkachuk's actions. Some fans defended the player and praised him for his skills, while others felt that the fine was a fair punishment for the incident. For instance, a fan named Adam tweeted:"Tkachuk doing everything he can to hurt his team. Great player but will never be a winner. Scumbag behavior."Adam@NotAdam123@EvanMarinofsky Tkachuk doing everything he can to hurt his team. Great player but will never be a winner. Scumbag behavior.@EvanMarinofsky Tkachuk doing everything he can to hurt his team. Great player but will never be a winner. Scumbag behavior.The tweet shows that some fans view Tkachuk's behavior as unsportsmanlike and potentially harmful to his team's chances of winning.Here are a few other tweets from fans:Red Panda Goalies@sarahreads110I'd pay $5k to cross check Matthew Tkachuk in the kidney, and I make significantly less than he does. twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafet…NHL Player Safety@NHLPlayerSafetyFlorida’s Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking against Boston’s Garnet Hathaway.3124Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking against Boston’s Garnet Hathaway.I'd pay $5k to cross check Matthew Tkachuk in the kidney, and I make significantly less than he does. twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafet…OldNReckless@OldNReckless@ABaumgartner91 Tkachuk paying the fine like.@ABaumgartner91 Tkachuk paying the fine like. https://t.co/f60jKQi6OlMr.Zero33@MisterZero33@HackswithHaggs One game suspension would have been good for Tkachuk, they'll be gone anyway after that.2@HackswithHaggs One game suspension would have been good for Tkachuk, they'll be gone anyway after that.Neil@CountDrach@NHLPlayerSafety @_TyAnderson Tkachuk’s a good player, but that was a dirty play.1@NHLPlayerSafety @_TyAnderson Tkachuk’s a good player, but that was a dirty play.Jared@JJHockey_15Tkachuk more like suck my co$k2Tkachuk more like suck my co$kJohn Amichetti Jr.@JohnAmichettiJrI’d love to go to Game 5 simply to yell goofball things at Tkachuk. #NHLBruinsI’d love to go to Game 5 simply to yell goofball things at Tkachuk. #NHLBruinsJJ 🐻☘️@JJonCChahahaha fuck matthew tkachukhahahaha fuck matthew tkachukShawn Concord NH@NHWharfRat@ConorRyan_93 Tkachuk is doing everything he can to ensure the Panthers don't see a game 6@ConorRyan_93 Tkachuk is doing everything he can to ensure the Panthers don't see a game 6A more personal look at Matthew Tkachuk's life.Matthew Tkachuk is a well-known name in the NHL. He was drafted in 2016. Tkachuk was born on Dec. 11, 1997, in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona. He currently serves as an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers.Tkachuk's father, Keith Tkachuk, is a former NHL player who played in 1,201 games and is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. His younger brother, Brady, is also an NHL player and currently plays for the Ottawa Senators. Brady won a bronze medal with the United States at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.Matthew Tkachuk's family has a long history in the NHL. His father, Keith, played for several teams during his career, including the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, and St. Louis Blues. Tkachuk's second cousin, Tom Fitzgerald, also played in the NHL and is now the general manager for the New Jersey Devils. Additionally, Tkachuk's cousins Kevin and the late Jimmy Hayes were also NHL players.