The Carolina Hurricanes clinched a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday—and the game had a real postseason vibe, filled with fights and fireworks. But it also sparked controversy, as many were outraged by Jalen Chatfield’s dangerous move in a fight against Connor McMichael.
The Capitals have all but secured the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference for the 2024-25 regular season, but they continue to show serious fight in their games. On Wednesday, they faced the Hurricanes, who needed a win to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Carolina ultimately cruised to a comfortable 5-1 victory, but not before tensions boiled over.
The game was intense from the start, and by the third period, things had completely unraveled. The teams combined for 142 penalty minutes, but the most talked-about moment was the fight between Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield and Capitals forward Connor McMichael.
Chatfield got the better of McMichael, and at first, most fans didn’t think much of it. But on replay, it became clear that Chatfield used a dangerous move to take McMichael off his skates and slam him onto the ice.
Jalen Chatfield ”could’ve killed” McMichael
As he grabbed McMichael and swung him backward, Jalen Chatfield also used his left skate for extra leverage, forcing his opponent to lose balance. McMichael fell hard onto the ice and was fortunate to avoid serious injury, narrowly missing a dangerous impact with the back of his head.
On social media, many blasted Jalen Chatfield for the maneuver, with some even suggesting McMichael could have been seriously hurt—or worse.
“I think Chatfield could have just killed McMichael,” Spittin’ Chiclets co-host Ryan Whitney said on X.
“Just a reminder after that Chatfield-McMichael scrap: Somebody is going to die from a head injury sustained in a hockey fight someday. I’ve been saying it for years now. Might be 10 years from now, might be tomorrow night. But it will happen. It’s inevitable,” hockey writer Ken Campbell warned.
“Five-gamer. This is totally uncalled for. Could kill a guy,” former NHLer Scottie Upshall added.
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