The wait is over. It’s time to unveil the 15 best hockey fights from the 2013-14 regular season. Despite concerns over new rules from the NHL (the fact you can’t remove your helmet to scrap), the year still saw some truly memorable fights.
Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments.
15. Travis Moen (MON) vs Kevan Miller (BOS) – March 24
Give Moen credit. He loses this fight badly, but he’s standing up for an injured teammate. He also could have easily stayed down after Miller catches him with an early right, but the Canadien gets back up and finishes the fight. Miller may be the victor, but Moen earns the moral victory.
14. Matt Irwin (SJ) vs Antoine Roussel (DAL) – Oct. 17
Brace yourself – you’re going to be hearing a lot about Roussel on this list. If there was a “Fighter of the Year’ award to hand out, we’d have no problem seeing it go to Roussel. As you’ll see in our top-15 countdown, his fights are ones which bring a special kind of energy to the building.
13. Colin Greening (OTT) vs Eric Nystrom (NSH) – Jan. 11
Great struggle between Greening and Nystrom. We side with the Predator in this one, but it’s a close, brutal fight.
12. Justin Johnson (NYI) vs John Scott (BUF) – April 13
Scott’s role in the NHL is widely criticized. If he’s not winning fights, he’s not really serving a purpose. Here Johnson topples Scott despite a huge, huge size disadvantage.
11. Luke Gazdic (EDM) vs Brian McGrattan (CGY) – Nov. 16
Gazdic is a really strong fighter. You might not be able to decipher this based on how McGrattan manhandles him with a steady stream of lefts and rights. Still, this fight is incredible and it’s one of the longest of the season.
10. Eric Nystrom (NSH) vs Tanner Glass (PIT) – Nov. 15
Nystrom probably regrets this one. Things go from bad (helmet stuck) to worse (Glass KO) in a hurry for the Nashville forward. Pittsburgh still seems a bit confused on how to use Glass, but it’s clear he can hold his own when the mitts are dropped.
9. Milan Lucic (BOS) vs Luke Gazdic (EDM) – Dec. 12
Lucic will only be remembered for his vendetta against areas below the belt in 2013-14, but he actually had some other memorable moments. Gazdic is an incredible fighter (more on that below) and Lucic not only holds his own but may in fact be the victor. Crappy camerawork, but a pretty solid confrontation.
8. Kevin Westgarth (CGY) vs Luke Gazdic (EDM) – March 1
Remember when Westgarth was one of the NHL’s better fighters? We’re struggling to remember too after watching Gazdic destroy him. You probably won’t find a better ending to a fight than you will in this one. Gazdic pulls out a move straight out of the WWE.
7. Antoine Roussel (DAL) vs Andrew Shaw (CHI) – Dec. 3
Spoiler alert: This isn’t the last time you’ll see Roussel.
We don’t know who wins this one, but know who loses – the officials. Watch as one official takes a vicious shot from Roussel. The next time you’re fed up with NHL officiating, watch this brawl.
6. Jay Rosehill (PHI) vs Paul Bissonnette (PHX) – Jan. 4
BizNasty took a while to warm up on this one. Rosehill throws maybe twice as many punches as the Coyote, but Biz does a decent job of battling back. If you’re a fan of flying equipment, this fight should be extra satisfying.
5. Jay Rosehill (PHI) vs Frazer McLaren (TOR) – March 8
We promise this is the last time we’ll mention Rosehill. It’s not our fault he was in so many noteworthy, awesome altercations. Even though Rosehill is the last one standing in this one, we’re inclined to label it a draw because both men took an absolute beating.
4. Mike Brown (SJ) vs Aaron Volpatti (WAS) – Jan. 14
The Brown-Volpatti scrap might be the most violent and most intense of 2013-14. Give the win to Brown, but it’s fair to say both men lost considering how many big punches connected.
3. Brian McGrattan (CGY) vs Patrick Bordeleau (COL) – Nov. 8
McGrattan and Bordeleau are two of the true heavyweights in the NHL. Bordeleau was one of our favorite fighters to watch in 2012-13 and we believed he was primed to emerge as the number one enforcer in the NHL. That didn’t exactly pan out, as you’ll see in his loss to McGrattan from November.
2. Colton Orr (TOR) vs John Erskine (WAS) – Jan. 10
Orr was involved in several of the top fights from 2012-13. Here he crack the top-15 again, but this time it’s for all of the wrong reasons. Both Orr and Erskine throw some wild bombs, but Erskine emerges as the victor. Orr’s performance here may perfectly summarize Toronto’s season: wild and intense, but in the end you’re facing the wrong direction before being blasted off your feet and out of contention.
1. Antoine Roussel (DAL) vs Kevin Klein (NSH) – Jan. 20
This fight has just about everything. Excluding a KO, it has all you could hope for if you’re looking for an awesome bout. Roussel and Klein throw some ridiculously big punches. At one point the two form a rather odd visual as Klein throws with his right and Roussell throws with his left.
Did you guess either Roussel or Klein would be involved in the year’s best fight? Probably not, but the two deserve a ton of praise for this battle.
Previous installments:
Olympic Break
The 15 best hockey fights from 2012-13.
A big “Thank you” to Hockey Fights, our #1 resource for hockey fight videos.