Best Hockey Fights of All Time

By: Eniko

Posted: September 30, 2021

Updated: September 30, 2021

Boston Bruins players fought with New York Rangers fans in 1979
Lights were switch off in the Canada-USSR game to calm the players down
A record 419 penalty minutes were awarded in the Senators vs Flyers game in 2004

Ice hockey is a tough sport, where fans can often see big fights between the players which is a common feature of the games. But some of these fights got so wild that they became famous all around the world. From the biggest fights in the NFL to the mass brawl in the Canada vs USSR Junior World Championship match. These are the best hockey fights of all time. Fights and mass brawls can easily erupt in the heat of an ice hockey game between the players. Usually they happen only between two players but sometimes the whole team can join in for the delight of the fans. It is not the nicest part of the sport but fights definitely belong to it. Just a warning, some of the following videos about our ice hockey fights compilation are not for the faint-hearted, so think twice before watching them.

Chicago Blackhawks vs Phoenix Coyotes

In one of the latest games of our list of the best hockey fights we find the NHL match between Chicago Blackhawks and Phoenix Coyotes from 2012. The two teams met in the Western Conference quarter-final in the playoff. In game three Raffi Torres from the Coyotes floored Marian Hossa from the Blackhawks who had to be taken to the hospital for concussion. Torres received a 25-game ban which was a record then until he broke it three years later. His team did win the tie but lost against the New Jersey Devils in the semi-final.

Nottingham Panthers vs Sheffield Steelers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnbjGWvqyME&t=41s One of the biggest brawls in the UK happened in a Nottingham Panthers vs Sheffield Steelers game in 2001 when all players started to fight on the ice. Even players from the benches joined in until the officials sent both teams to their dressing rooms to cool off. 8 players and both head coaches were thrown out from the game which continued after a 45-minute break.

Bob Probert vs Craig Coxe

Two heavyweight players started to fight in the Detroit Red Wings vs Vancouver Canucks match, Bob Probert and Craig Coxe. It was a tough fight where both of them received several punches for quite a long time. Probert was well-known for his fighting spirit, often called as an enforcer. He will appear with another fight in our list. Just like his former team, which has the highest odds, +20000.00 on online sportsbooks in the US to win the Stanley Cup next season.

Detroit Red Wings vs Colorado Avalanche

The two NHL teams, the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche had been huge rivals in the 1990s and already met in the 1996 Playoffs. When the Avalanche player Claude Lemieux hit on Red Wings player Kris Draper so badly, that Draper suffered a concussion, a broken jaw, nose and cheekbone. He spent the summer recovering while Lemieux won the Stanley Cup with his team. But in the following season Darren McCarthy took revenge on Lemieux and punched him unexpectedly. Their teammates were also fighting with even the goalkeepers taking part in one of the worst NHL fights in history.

Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers (and the fans)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMcbdBYuGTE The team of the Boston Bruins was involved in another famous brawl. When they played against the New York Rangers back in 1979. What makes it one of the worst NHL fights in history is the fact that fans were also involved in the fight. It was a tense game that ended with some punches shared between the players. When a Rangers fan hit Bruins player Stan Jonathan with his match program, drawing blood. Then things escalated and soon the players and the fans started to fight each other with one of the players beating a fan with his own shoe.

Canada vs USSR

But fights could happen between national teams as well. Just like it happened in the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Czechoslovakia. The teams of Canada and the Soviet Union met in the final where a mass brawl erupted after half time with all players getting involved. The referees tried to calm down the teams by switching off the lights but it didn’t help either. The game was declared void and both teams were disqualified. Hopefully there won’t be similar scenes in the next big event, at the 2022 IIHF World Championships.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Montreal Canadiens

Back to the NHL, there is another example of the best NHL fights ever. It happened in the match between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens in 1987. Actually it all happened before the match even started, just after the warm-up when no referees were on the ice. The fight lasted more than 10 minutes and it was the last drop before the league introduced tougher legislation. Like longer suspensions and bigger fines which ended most of these kinds of brawls. By the way, if you can’t wait for the start of the new season, you can already make bets on the first games like the Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs. With online gambling sites in the US favoring Toronto against last season’s runners-up.

Marty McSorley vs Bob Probert

Of course, there had been players who just couldn’t help themselves. Like Bob Probert, who did enjoy a good fight with anyone. Probably he fought his biggest one against the Pittsburgh Penguins player Marty McSorley in 1994. They battled for more than 90 seconds until the referees dared to break them up. McSorley was involved in another incident as a player of the Boston Bruins later which ended his NHL career. As he hit a Vancouver Canucks player, Donald Brashear in the head with less than 5 seconds before the end of the game. He was charged with assault and suspended from playing.

Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFGEJBkvLao Still staying with the Boston Bruins, their other match against the Montreal Canadiens from 1986 had another memorable fight in NHL history. The two teams had a long ongoing rivalry between each other when they met in the Division semi-final. Canadiens player Chris Nilan took a swing on Ken Linseman who was on the Bruins’ bench. A brawl broke out involving all players which was going on even in the hallways, naming the fight the “Brawl in the Hallway.” Nilan got a three-game ban while Claude Lemieux was suspended for one game.

Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers

At the top of our list we put the Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers match from 2004, which resulted in a league record for penalty minutes (419). With less than two minutes left to play, Donald Breasher and Rob Ray took off their gloves and started to fight. They were soon joined by their teammates, with individual fights breaking out all over the ice. It kept going on until no one was left to play. The Flyers actually won the game 5-3 but further rules were added to the sport to avoid such incidents in the future.