In a rare scrap between two superstars, San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton dropped the mitts with Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews on Friday night.
Late in the first period in the Chicago zone, Toews hit Thornton from behind in one corner of the rink. Then, Toews followed Thornton to the opposite corner, crosschecked him a few times and instigated a fight.
This isn’t the first time the former Olympic teammates have mixed it up in the NHL.
Last season, the two captains exchanged jabs during a game in San Jose.
The two centres are known more for their skill rather than their toughness, so the scrap came as a surprise to many.
Toews has only fought three times in his six-year NHL career. In 2008-09 Toews fought Martin Hanzal on the Phoenix Coyotes and in 2009-10 he dropped the mitts with David Backes of the St. Louis Blues.
Thornton meanwhile has 25 career fights (one occurred in the playoffs), however the 33-year-old has only fought twice in the last three seasons.
Toews received five minutes for fighting, two minutes for boarding and two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play, while Thornton just received five minutes for fighting.
Do you enjoy when two superstars drop the gloves?
$(“#poll_11634″).v2Poll({poll_id: 11634});
