In the modern NHL, a lot of "fights" are barely able to be classified as such. Most end up as just a couple of grown men grabbing at one another for a couple of seconds before falling to the ice together in unison.
However, Wednesday night's Oilers vs. Devils game delivered a fight that lived up to the billing and then some. It featured Edmonton's Milan Lucic and New Jersey's Kurtis Gabriel dropping the gloves in the first period for what felt like an eternity, especially by today's standards.
In reality, the bout lasted for just over an action-packed minute.
Both Lucic and Gabriel are experienced fighters with a lengthy history of bouts (many of Gabriel's coming in the AHL) and they gave each other a pretty good tussle in Edmonton. Both guys expended all their energy and were completely exhausted by the time officials stepped in.
They both skated away with visible damage as a result of the scrap as well, though Lucic's face may have taken a bit more damage because he doesn't wear a shield on his helmet.
For what it's worth, HockeyFights.com has Lucic as the winner, taking 48-percent of the vote compared to 20-percent for Gabriel and 32-percent for an even draw.
