Senators vs. Maple Leafs: Ugly fight in first minute
Rivalry day is off to a violent start.
Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo
Less than a minute into the first game of a night in the NHL that focuses on some of the most intense rivalries in the league, a fight broke out which left Ottawa's Dave Dziurzynski out cold face down on the ice. Toronto's Frazer McLaren was the one who knocked him out to kick off the latest installment of the Battle of Ontario.
This was Dziurzynski’s first career NHL fight, though he has had a few in the AHL.
Immediate reaction to the fight on Twitter leaned heavily towards disapproval:
Even those who support fighting in hockey and think it still has a place in the game have to be feeling a bit conflicted about this bout. Any serious head injury is cause for alarm, and can permanently affect a player's health, and this fight didn't seem to have much of a point. Credit is due to Dziurzynski for bravery here, but ultimately this turned out more ugly than exciting or heroic.
There was a second fight in the game just a few minutes later, this time between Colton Orr and Chris Neil. At least in that one, nobody was seriously hurt.
UPDATE: The Senators reported during the game that Dziurzynski had sustained a concussion in the fight and wouldn't return.
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