Hockey, known for its physicality, reached a boiling point on Monday night in Ottawa as officials made a bold move to restore order. The game between the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators turned chaotic when a fight erupted in the third period, prompting the officials to take drastic action.
With Florida leading 4-0, Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk found himself on a breakaway. Dmitry Kulikov of the Panthers, in an attempt to stop Tkachuk, drove him into the boards with his stick, inciting a brawl between both teams.
After a brief moment of control, tempers flared again when a punch was thrown. Referee Garrett Rank then shocked everyone by issuing a 10-minute misconduct penalty to every player on the ice, effectively ejecting them from the game with seven minutes remaining.
Despite the drama, Panthers’ coach Paul Maurice couldn’t help but chuckle as his team faced the adversity. With both teams short-handed, Florida managed to score one more goal, securing a 5-0 victory.
The game had already been intense, with an ejection and heated exchanges before the major incident. The Tkachuk brothers clashed, leading to fights and misconduct penalties totaling 167 minutes by the end of the game.
While the ejections were unprecedented, the players seemed unfazed. Brady Tkachuk defended their emotional play, emphasizing the team’s competitive spirit and unity.
More players received misconduct penalties later, adding to the already high tally. Despite the chaos, this game was far from the most penalty-heavy in hockey history, with a 2004 game between the Senators and Flyers reaching a staggering 419 penalty minutes.
Maurice downplayed the intensity, calling it just another hockey game with competitive spirit. Reflecting on the physicality, he remarked that the game would have to get even more intense to be considered truly wild.
