Blake Wheeler issued a game misconduct for angrily throwing the puck into the stands on Saturday

Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler was issued a game misconduct at the end of Saturday night's tilt with the Edmonton Oilers after catching a puck that popped up in front of him and throwing it into the stands at the final horn. The video is below, in case you may have missed it.

This is one of the more odd misconducts I've seen in my many years as a hockey fan. As far as I know, the game puck had no real significance, in terms of a goaltender or coaching milestone, and it wasn't a first goal puck.. I'm really at a loss for this one. Call it whatever you want.. unsportsmanlike conduct.. it was hardly deserving of a game misconduct, at least in my humble opinion. Especially when you consider that players snap their sticks in half in anger all the time without being issued a misconduct like this one. Perhaps they were treating the act as they would have with fans in attendance, who may have gotten hurt as a result of the thrown puck - I don't know.

While a game misconduct on its own at the end of a game is pretty much irrelevant, many don't know that if a player accumulates 3 game misconducts in a season, they are forced to serve a one-game suspension, per purehockey.com.

Wheeler's actions after the horn were undoubtedly out of frustration after losing back-to-back games with the North Division lead on the line. Add to that the fact that the Jets held a 2-0 lead for much of the first period before surrendering 4 straight and losing the contest by a score of 4-2 and losing ground to both the Leafs and the Oilers, who are both jockeying for the top spot in the North as well, and it's no wonder why the captain was fired up.

The Jets have now been leapfrogged by the Oilers, who move into a tie atop the division with the Leafs with 42 points, though the Leafs have two games-in-hand.

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