During a game between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, we almost had a goalie fight as Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman skated to center ice to challenge Leafs’ Joseph Woll.
Nothing happened there, as Woll wasn’t up to it, but on Tuesday, we came even closer to a goalie fight as chaos erupted in the game between the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks had a four-goal lead early in the third period when a brawl began behind Chicago’s net during a commercial break.
Ducks forward Mason McTavish and Blackhawks D-man Jared Tinordi started bushing each other, and it didn’t take long before every player on the ice was involved.
Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas started fighting with Blackhawks forward MacKenzie Entwistle, and that’s when goalie Pert Mrazek got in the mix.
He stepped in to defend Entwistle, and when John Gibson saw Mrazek getting involved across the ice, he decided to leave his goal crease.
Gibson was standing at the Ducks bench when he decided to skate all the way down, dropping his blocker and glove and grabbing his opposing netminder.
Referees were quick to separate them, and neither goalie had time to exchange any blows. They both were given penalties on the play, with Mrazek earning a 10-minute misconduct.
He was allowed to stay in the game, but Gibson wasn’t as lucky, as he was tossed from the game for leaving the crease. Lukas Dostal replaced Gibson in net for the remainder of the game, and he allowed one goal. The Blackhawks won 7-2 after a five-point night for rookie phenom Connor Bedard.
