In anticipation of the Sept. 15 release of EA Sports's upcoming NHL 10 game, we decided to celebrate the sport-within-the-sport that is NHL fighting.
Whether you're a fan of hockey is almost irrelevant when it comes to the glove-dropping slugfests at center ice. Real men throwing real punches in the heat of a hockey match is every bit as exciting as any MMA fight, whether you're a fan of Bob Probert or Tie Domi, or ifyou've never heard of them at all. Georges Laraque still stands as a knockout champion in many NHL-fight enthusiast minds, but does he make the list of the ten best fights in NHL history? Read on to find out!
10. Tie Domi vs. Fan
While sitting in the penalty box, Tie Domi of the Maple Leafs had apparently begun returning the heckles made by one particularly aggressive Flyers fan. After Domi squirted the overweight attendee with his waterbottle, the fan went berzerk and crashed through the divider into the penalty box, where he proceeded to punch a referee and take a good seven or eight hits to the face before being dragged out.
9. Ryan VandenBussche vs. Nick Kypreos
When you're in the NHL, the common belief is that you've got the chin of an ox; Kypreos proved that theory very wrong by getting knocked the hell out with one punch. As he snoozed face-down on the ice, many hockey fans began to realize their fixation with brutality - not long after, MMA caught on like wildfire. Coincidence? We think not.
8. Hal Gill vs. Zdeno Chara
Some fights are hard to watch. The highlight of this particular bout between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins featured Gill getting pummeled and bloodied by an utterly possessed Chara, who makes it clear that he has no intention of simply throwing a few and walking away. A good fifteen to twenty punches went completely unreturned, leaving Gill helplessly just trying to get away. He finally threw a punch as the referees descended, but it hit more air than a Shaq free-throw.
7. Mark Tinordi vs. Jason Smith
Jason Smith stepped up for teammate Tie Domi to take on Mark Tinordi in what would become one of the most classic fights in NHL history. The best part, really, is the fact that the referee treated the action like it was a show put on just for him - arms folded, he just hung out and enjoyed the show - which ended with a broken nose for Tinordi and a black eye for Smith.
6. Mighty Ducks vs. Calgary Flyers
The entire third period was basically a slugfest at this 2006 matchup, full of cheap shots, team-ups and beatdowns that the refs had absolute zero control over. Both goalies get sucker punched, and several high-speed dives across the ice resulted in some cringe-worthy fist/face collisions. A dark day for professionalism in the NHL, for sure.
