Ryan Reaves and Mathieu Oliver in ‘hockey fight of the year’ as NHL rivals swing punches before being dragged apart
HOCKEY fans in Toronto witnessed what is being called the “fight of the year.”
Toronto Maple Leafs star Ryan Reaves traded blows with Columbus Blue Jackets rival Mathieu Olivier.
Reaves, 38, is known for being involved in fights during hockey games.
Olivier, 27, also has a reputation for not shying away.
And it took less than two minutes of the game at Scotiabank Arena for them to be dragged into a brawl.
The heavyweights swung punches at his rival as they went at it for almost a minute.
And the pair were separated by officials after the fight ended in a stalemate.
Fighting is a common part of National Hockey League encounters.
But it has slowly become less frequent in recent years.
Toronto captain Auston Matthews was disappointed with the response from the crowd.
He said, “Would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that.
“It was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it.
“But it was a great moment for him. I thought gave us some energy on the bench.”
Columbus took advantage of the subdued atmosphere to score a huge 5-1 road win.
Adam Fantilli, who grew up a 40-minute drive from Toronto, scored his first NHL hat trick.
He said he had around 70 friends and family in attendance and footed a large bill for their tickets.
“A lot of [my money] is gone now, so I’m just happy with the win,” Fantilli laughed.
“It means the world to be able to do that in front of my friends and family, everybody made the trip out.
“I’m super grateful they all came out and I was able to pull one off there.
“I was really lucky, they had some great seats so I was able to make eye contact with a few of them after the first and second period.
“So it was pretty special to be able see their faces.”
Toronto is top of the Atlantic Division in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
Columbus, meanwhile, sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division.