NHL Odds: Will there be a goalie fight this regular season?
Nothing gets hockey fans off their feet quicker than a goalie fight. From Patrick Roy to Mike Vernon to Ray Emery, plenty of goalies have dropped the mitts over the years. The list of current NHL goalies who have past fights under their belt is likely bigger than most fans realize, so does that mean there could be a goalie fight in 2023-24?
Let’s take a look at the potential candidates for a goalie fight.
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Jordan Binnington
If you can find a market for ‘Jordan Binnington 0.5 career fights’, you need to hammer the Over. It’s no secret Binnington has been itching for a fight for years and if it wasn’t for a couple of overzealous linesmen, Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury would have given Binnington his wish last season.
But, the attempted Fleury fight wasn’t the first time St. Louis’ starter has snapped. Binnington has notably taken out his frustration multiple times, including physical incidents with Jordan Staal, Jason Zucker and Ryan Hartman all last season. The Hartman incident, which earned Binnington an ejection and two-game suspension, is what led to the attempted Fleury fight.
Binnginton has led all NHL goalies in penalty minutes each of the last two seasons (29 minutes last year, 14 in 2021-22) and his 49 penalty minutes since 2017-18 is second-most in the NHL over that time (Josh Gibson has 50). It’s only a matter of time before Binnington finally finds a parter to square off against.
Marc-Andre Fleury
With three Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy and a slew of other awards and honours, Fleury has accomplished nearly everything he can as a player and he is a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. So, what’s one more thing to add to the list? Duh, dropping the mitts.
While Fleury has never fought in the NHL (thanks again, anonymous linesmen), he actually has a history of scraps in junior when he was a member of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. “Flower” had two notable fights, going toe-to-toe with Adam Russo and Kevin Lachance within the span of just a couple months.
It’s been a while since Fleury has actually fought, but if last year indicated anything, it’s that he’s still more than willing to let his fists fly to protect a teammate.
James Reimer
James Reimer might not be the first goalie you imagine getting into a fight, but he came fairly close last year. Who with? Give yourself a pat on the back if you guessed Fleury. Yes, the two goalies who lead the league in the imaginary stat of smiles-per-game had their frowns turned upside down during a game in March.
San Jose’s Evgeny Svechnikov stopped deep in Fleury’s crease starting a tit-for-tat stick-swinging fight that caught the attention of Reimer, who then skated out to his blue line and engaged in a stare-down with Fleury. Nothing further came of it, but Reimer had to be feeling salty when the Wild scored on the ensuing power-play.
In case you’re wondering, Reimer’s new team, Detroit, hosts the Wild on November 26 and travels to Minnesota on December 27. Could there be any lingering animosity between Reimer and Fleury?
Cam Talbot
NHL journeyman Cam Talbot is one of the few current goalies with an NHL fight on his resume. Talbot took the Battle of Alberta literally when, as a member of the Calgary Flames, he fought Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith in February 2020.
The rivalry had been heating up that season and multiple fights ignited when Oilers forward Sam Gagner took a late poke at the puck Talbot had covered. While the rest of the players on the ice were busy brawling, Smith skated to centre ice and before anyone realized it, Talbot and Smith were throwing punches.
Now donning a Kings uniform, could California rivalries with the Sharks and Ducks entice Talbot into another fight?
Pyotr Kochetkov
Pyotr Kochetkov isn’t starting the year with the big club in Carolina, but he is expected to see some NHL action this season after playing 24 games last year. Kochetkov is on this list because of a legendary performance he had while playing for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last March.
Kochetkov is possibly the only professional goalie to both score a goal and be ejected for fighting in the same game. Just a few minutes after sealing Chicago’s victory over the Manitoba Moose with a late empty-netter, Kochetkov and Manitoba captain Jimmy Oligny mixed things up in a scrum and were both ejected.
If Kochetkov had also sneaked an assist on his stat line and finished the game with a goalie Gordie Howe hat trick, he would have had my vote for immediate induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
