Fighting on Ice: Ice Hockey's Most Brutal Brawls
The Toughest Fights and Baddest Brawls in Ice Hockey History
They’re part of the reason why ice hockey is so thrilling to watch, so when a fight breaks out, the crowd goes wild.
Some of the most infamous brawls come from the most bitter of rivalries.
Depending on your feelings towards fighting in hockey, we’ve put together the best - or worst - ice hockey brawls. They’re certainly not for the faint-hearted, so be warned before you press play on any of the videos!
Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers: 1979
When the action spilled over the glass!
It may have been 40+ years ago now, but it still ranks as one of the most infamous ice hockey brawls ever.
After some cheap plays, a riled Rangers fan leaned over the glass and struck Boston Bruins player, Stan Jonathan, with his match programme and drew blood.
It escalated quickly from there, with the protective Bruins players leaping to his defence, over the glass and into the stands. Mike Milbury, the Bruins defenseman at the time, proceeded to force a fan’s shoe off and beat him with it.
With 18 Bruins players fighting in the stands with all the fans, this was certainly one memorable match. Not without its consequences though – lawsuits, suspensions and fines followed. Also, the dawn of higher glass dividers at the stadiums.
Ice hockey certainly is one of the toughest sports in the world!
Chicago Blackhawks vs Phoenix Coyotes - 2012
The very long suspension!
This one made the history books because of the punishment, not just the crime.
In 2012, the Coyote’s Raffi Torres, launched himself at Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa, and left him squirming on the ice in pain. After a few minutes, he was carried off on a stretcher and taken for treatment in hospital.
Torres found himself with a 25-game ban, one of the longest in history at the time. For each game he missed, he had to forfeit over $20,000 in salary.
It seems not even this taught him a lesson, and 3 years later he was given a 41-game suspension for an illegal head check on Anaheim’s Silfverberg.
Philadelphia Flyers vs Montreal Canadiens - 1987
The pre-game fight!
This one happened even before the puck dropped.
Post warm-up, just as the players were heading back to their locker rooms, the Canadien forward, Lemieux, riled the Flyers by shooting into their empty net. Following this, the gloves came off (literally) and a chaotic fight erupted between both teams.
As this was during warm-ups, there was no referee around and the brawl lasted over ten minutes, one of the longest in the history of the NHL.
This was such a monumental fight that it actually changed NHL legislation – it became tougher and they introduced significant fines in an attempt to stop bench-clearing brawls.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues - 2014
The knock-out!
Already a very physical season of hockey for these two teams, it was no surprise when this game escalated.
Seabrook of the Blackhawks, hit Blues Captain David Backes, so hard, it knocked him out cold on the ice and resulted in a concussion. His Blues teammates jumped to his defence.
As a result of the previous blow, when Backes tried to get back up and join in with the ensuing fight, he could barely keep upright - clearly extremely dazed and confused.
While he attempted to get up, he was subjected to further abuse from a Blackhawks player taunting, "Wakey wakey, Backes, wakey wakey!".
Seabrook’s hit cost him a ‘game misconduct’ penalty, a 3-game suspension and it ended the game for Backes.
Canada vs Russia – 1987
The punch up in Piestany!
Over 30 years ago, one of the most infamous moments in international hockey history occurred when Canada and the USSR brawled at the 1987 World Juniors in Piestany, Czechoslovakia.
As the brawl went from bad to worse, arena officials panicked and turned off the lights in an attempt to control the chaos.
With Canada dominating the game at 4-2, already assured of a bronze medal and looking like a sure bet for Gold, the game descended into chaos. A series of fights broke out at a stoppage in play. Two Soviet players hopped the bench and the benches cleared.
Ordinarily, players will square off and find a non-fighter to pair off with, but on this occasion, both teams were equally guilty of many nefarious acts. As a result of the brawl, the game was abandoned and declared as ‘no contest’. The IIHF held an emergency meeting and Canada and Russia were disqualified from the tournament.
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