Brits React to Top 10 NHL Fights Of All Time 

This is why we laugh at footballers...in football you pretend you're hurt - in hockey, you pretend you're not.

I'm a Canadian who has played hockey all my life. The refs don't stop the fights for the following reasons: (1) It's part of the sport - see The Code (video) for an explanation, (2) It is dangerous for them to try, and (3) the players will not stop fighting just because some refs want them to. Note that the refs clear the area of equipment (gloves, helmets, sticks) to make it "safe" for the fighters and will continue to monitor the fight as it goes on to make sure The Code is followed and no "intent to injure" happens such as kicking or other actions that are against the code. The refs step in once one or both fighters drop to the ice. At this point it makes sense for the refs to intervene because (1) the fight is over, (2) The Code is satisfied, and (3), the fighters are tired and "out of gas" and therefore can be physically separated.

“The Code” is a really good hockey video to watch explaining how fights are part of the sport

I’m Canadian. I’ve been watching Hockey for 50 years. It’s not as rough as it used to be but yeah there’s fighting. It’s a very emotional game.

Fighting is definitely part of the sport lol

I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out. 😂 🤣 😂 Rodney Dangerfield.

Fighting is illegal in hockey but you just get a five minute penalty, hockey players use fighting to protect their star players from getting hurt and about not being allowed in the UK, this is America and Canada and fighting is the way we grew up

Watch the video called The Code, it explains why fighting is a part of the game

When your jersey has a "fight strap" in the back to prevent it from being pulled over your head.... it's the real deal😂❤😂

Check out "Birth of the Rivalry: Fight Night at the Joe - Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche", it gives history of what is known as "The Brawl in Hockey town" melee that occurred March 26, 1997.

You should probably check out the video called “the code “. It gives you the reason they’re fighting is allowed in hockey for the players to help govern their safety and rules.

I loved your reaction! As a Canadian I've grown up on hockey so fist fights seem so normal to me. I sometimes forget that across the pond things are quite different so the shock was hilarious for me to watch

Fighting used to be a huge part of the game - Teams had "Enforcers" whos job was basically to fight and intimidate the other team. An old saying was that "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out!" They have slowly tried to eliminate fighting in hockey over the years. In the 70's and 80's you were guaranteed a fight per game and sometimes the players would even go into the stands and fight the fans! Another reason the refs get involved when they go down is because the skate blades can slice you wide open and it is more dangerous when the player is on the ground.

Domi vs Probert....classic fights

Fighting is the way Hockey polices itself. It's completely part of the sport since inception (more than 100 years). Opponents generally get 5 min offsetting penalties so neither team has advantage. (5 for Fighting). It's the most exciting sport there is to watch/play!

This is a sport that most of the United States of America knows little about, but in Canada it is THE sport.

And back in the good ol days. Both guys would go for a beer after the game. Don’t forget these guys are gentlemen ( for the most part)😂

In our boxing gym over here in Alberta. Hockey players practice punching while wearing rollerblades.

Best fight ever is in this video, at 10:54, the Good Friday Massacre in 1984, between Montreal - Quebec. They tried to restart that game many times. But brawls just kept going. There is a video here on YT of said brawl called "Nordiques vs Canadiens Apr 20, 1984 Good Friday Game". Its probably the biggest hockey brawl of all time 😆

Been in so many donney brooks, taken sucker punches, given some heavy rights, spent 80 minutes in one year in the penalty box. Had 2 times police called. Seen almost everything....🎉it is the best game on earth! I miss it all.

You’ll notice that even as the players are punching, they’ve holding onto the other player. This gives them stability on the ice

When everyone on the ice is fighting it's called a "line brawl". Everyone pairs up. Sometimes even the goalies

Fighting has been a part of hockey since the beginning, even in today's game fights occure. One of the reasons why hockey is the greatest sport EVER!

I can only guess that that Detroit vs Colorado intro graphic towards the end was the “Brawl at Hockeytown”, but it seems like it didn’t play, so you should watch that one just for fun. It’s MY number one, being a Detroit fan, and there’s SO much backstory to it as well.

Fighting is part of the sport and they don’t usually step in til someone falls. It’s kind of like crashing in NASCAR, a bonus part of the sport that fans love. Most teams will have an enforcer specifically to do the dirty work. They get sent to the penalty box afterward.

The refs don’t jump in until someone goes down. That keeps the ref from getting punched. Plus it lets the fighters get it out of their system.

The shoes on the ice.....had me rolling

Fighting is very important to hockey... the referees dont really control what happens on the ice outside of penalties and stuff... if someone from the other team does something dirty, it is your team's responsibility to send a tough guy out there to make sure everybody knows that there will be consequences for dirty plays... and fighting is how that point is made.

Mad Mike Milbury beating the fan with his own shoe is a classic. 🤘😆🤘

Fighting is part of hockey. Like there are actual “rules” that go with it, like a code. It’s actually quite interesting why players fight, which players fight, who fights who, etc

Fighting is a beloved part of the game in Canada! Some of my favorite memories of playing hockey was when we were throwing hands!

Oh man! Hockey games are outrageously wild parties!

You should react to Best NHL Dangles and Best NHL Saves. It will show the pure skill of this amazing sport.

Teams usually have 1 guy on their team they call a goon whose main job is to fight and protect the best players from the other team. Makes you think twice before you check/hit the best players because the goon will come after you and beat your ass. Best fights are when 2 goons square off. They train to fight and some guys punch concrete every day to toughen their fists.

There is no other sport that has this much intensity for long periods of time. The energy and speed and agility is beyond any sport out there. Even basket ball.

It’s part of the game, guys.

The Canadian flyers fight that you're watching at number 4 was actually a fight that occurred in pregame warm-ups. If you watch the footage there's no referees on the ice because this was before the game even started.

In Canada and the United States it's only known as hockey. And yes, fighting is part of the game but unfortunately, if you are in a fight, you have to go and sit in a box and feel bad for yourself for five minutes. We used to refer to it as the sin bin. Unfortunately, the NHL league is trying to moderate it more which leads to more sneaky, clutch and grabs style playing. In the past, nobody would clutch and grab because they often have somebody called them on it and end up in a fight. that's what happens when you let money and social media into the activities of a great sport.

"We're going to have a donnybrook" 😂. It trips me out how bizarre the brawls seem to non Canadians or Non hockey fans. Someone else made the suggestion & I'll second it by recommending you watch a video explaining "the code" . As brutal as it may look the reality is it keeps players honest & punishes players who play like rats & are looking to hurt intentionally.

Back in the 1970s bench clearing brawls were common in ice hockey. There was a popular joke that came out of this "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." 🙂 They cleaned that up in the 1980s with the third man in rule. The third man in would be ejected from the game. The penalty for a fight is a five minute penalty, which they call a "five minute major." 7/6/24, 11:04 a.m.

Sometimes the fights are the best part of the game! This was so fun! GO WINGS! #Detroit #Hockeytown

Junior hockey in Canada fighting used to be ho hum. Now it’s rare

They call it dropping the gloves because they both take their gloves off and start swinging.

I remember a conversation Gordie Howe had when talking about a fight with Bobby Hull ( I think it was Hull ). They had started fighting when Hull cried out in pain . Gordie said " What's wrong " Hull replied " I think I just popped my shoulder" Gordie said " Okay , we'll finish this later " I had the privilege of meeting Gordie Howe years ago . He was a true gentleman

This is why Hockey is the greatest sport on the planet! It has the raw brutality of American football and Boxing, the beauty of English Football, the advance hand/ eye coordination of Baseball and Basketball, the beyond extraordinary reflex/reaction time of Tennis and Basketball, and the amazing precision of Golf. On top of it all, there's REALLY no crying in Hockey, broken bones and gapping wounds don't stop the players from being ready for the next period.

The one where the player gets knocked out, was a game between the Quebec Nordiques and the Montréal Canadiens, which was one of the battles of Quebec. It was a big rivalry between the 2 teams, both playjng in the same province, even fans fought in these games as well.

Here's a few more to check out. -Bob Probert vs Marty Mcsorley 1994 -Bob Probert vs Craig Coxe round 1 and 2 -Forbes Kennedy brawl 1969

The irony of it all is that the guy getting punched at the start of the video named George Parros is the guy IN charge of player safety.

This is what we call real hockey in Canada

North American hockey has an unspoken rule that you “police” the game with fighting. If you play dirty, go after a star, etc. you can expect an “enforcer” to settle the score.

There was one from College in the 80's between Wisconsin and North Dakota that went on over 15mins. Police and fans were involved, both benches cleared. It was crazy. There's an old joke about going to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out.

Today’s hockey there’s heavy fines and suspension by the NHL players safety board but fights still do happen.

Hockey is a game of justice. Everybody plays the game right until somebody doesn't. Most American sports go this way. It's why a pitcher throws a fastball at a batter's face because of something the 2nd baseman did last inning. It's why a Linebacker hits a Quartetback late. When players see an infraction and it's not called, we become vigilantes. No sport exhibits that more than hockey. Despite the NHL's best efforts, fighting is still part of the game. I miss the days of enforcers, but most people disagree with me on that. However, when something goes wrong, hockey players still drop the mitts and go to work for their team. That's why hockey is AWESOME!❤

If you watch earlier NHL mic’d up videos you’ll hear the players ask each other if they want to fight. They’ll ask Do you want to have one? Or Do you want to go? Normally this banter is called Chirping. So, you’ll hear the players ask and agree to fight just before dropping their gloves.

Philadelphia Flyers have long been known as "The Broad Street Bullies".

The Montreal vs Boston brawl happened 60 years ago. Brawls are rare things. One on one battles happen more often but are still not common, you'd have to attend more than a few games to witness one.

Great informative comments folks, I’ve played hockey sing a kid in Canada. Love this game

I played hockey growing up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. When I was in Bantam Minor League(13 to 14 years old). The worst thing I ever saw involving a fight was a team mate of mine drop kicking a guy with his shakes on. He was instantly suspended from minor hockey forever. And if I recall correctly that meant all of Canada

The fight at 10:51 of the video, that is marked as the Colorado Avalanche vs the Detroit Red Wings, was actually a fight between the Quebec (City) Nordiques and the Detroit Red Wings. The Nordiques were moved from Quebec City to Colorado in 1995 and became the Avalanche but this fight was before the move.

The movies "Goon" and "Goon: Last of the Enforcers" are some fictional movies based on a real player who used to fight a lot. I quite enjoyed them. You might give them a watch if this interested you.

Lol I love seeing a fresh perspective! Fighting is a penalty in hockey (5 minutes, sometimes can be game suspension depending on a few things). You're correct that the ref jumps in once a player hits the ice. If anyone liked watching this and is new to hockey.. Check out a documentary on RU-vid called Broad Street Bullies. They were animals.

I played in the Montreal Canadians organization from 1957 til 1967 and fighting was always part of the game even for little kids. It's a game of physical intimidation. In the 40's and 50's they would sometimes fight with their sticks. This is partly the reason that Canadians were so feared in war. Hockey is the Canadian game

Fighting is part of the game. There's a code in hockey, you break the code and you may have to answer for it. The referees rarely break up the fights, the linesmen (no orange band) do that, but they usually wait until they're tied up or go to the ice to avoid getting hit themselves.

Five for fighting. Its a five minute penalty

Stanley Cup Championship was last night. One of the best series of playoffs I’ve seen

just a few years ago i was working with a young guy that played hockey at a high level in canada, just below the NHL. he was a pretty big dude and his role was to be the enforcer. he was talking about how he was pretty well solely trained to knock people down and fight.

In the NHL, most fights result in only a five-minute penalty (where the players involved have to sit on the bench for those five-minutes without substitution). Severe fights and flagrant acts (i.e. using the stick to hit the opponent in a fight, stomping on the opponent with one's skates, etc.), however, still result in bans and suspensions.

So one of my favorite fighters of all time was Tie Domi, he was such a character. Wendel Clark also had a few doozies especially with Rob Ray. Thing is that many of the fighters are friends in the off season and something to remember is the guy that you got into the fight with in March might be a team member in September, as guys on the roster get traded. Usually its the gritty fighting types that get traded the most. Usually if you do something really heinous though you generally get punished by the league .. (Marty McSorly hitting Donald Brashier with his stick to the head)(Dale Hunter checking Pat Lafontaine from behind), Fighting I think is an intregral part of the game, and while it is shocking, its a tactic used to change the momentum of a game.

You should watch the "Good Friday Massacre" or "Good Friday Brawl" between Québec Nordiques and Montréal Canadians. "La bataille du vendredi saint" in French. It took place in 1984 (or 82?) playoff game. There was a brawl at the end of the second period and it started again when players got on the ice for the beginning of the third period. It lasted probably around 30 minutes. Even if we enjoyed it at that time, it is now seen as the darkest event of the great Canadians-Nordiques rivalry.

the one with 14 fights was call La Bataille du Vendredi Saint or The Battle of The Good Friday. Its was the high point of the rivalry between Montreal and Quebec also call The Battle of Quebec!!!

I grew up in Canada and can tell you how they stay on their feet. Even marginal skaters in Canada are pretty stable and once you grab you have another point of balance. The strategy in lower leagues (beer) is to grab the jersey below the chin, twist your hand so your thumb is down and thrown your other hand at the hand holding onto the jersey. When punches come in you hide behind your shoulder (doesn't generally work). Fighting is a five minute penalty in pro leagues, ejection in beer league.

Biggest MLB bench clearing brawls is a good one to react to.

05:14 "Broad Street Bullies" - Aka Philadelphia Flyers ,the 70's in NHL were known as "Savage Years" where they were lots of violence and fights in the NHL , the rules were changed in late 70's to curb violence and fighting.

One comedian , I can't remember who , maybe Rodney Dangerfield , said " I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out "

Fighting is part of hockey . The players have a code when it’s broken or the refs miss a dirty play you fight

I am 61. I played hockey for 30 years. I was an average player and an above average fighter. My role was to goad the opposing teams best players into a fight so we would take coincidental penalties. My presence on the ice was not missed whatsoever...but the guy in the box next to me was sorely missed by his team....

Two very strict major rules are heavily enforced, since the 70s and 80s… No more bench clearing brawls. You cannot leave the bench to add to a fight between players on ice… “3rd man in”, you can’t double team, or jump into an already existing fight…

There’s a long standing joke here in Canada about going to the fights and a hockey game broke out. It’s not officially part of the game but it sorta is somehow. When you have a finesse player on your team you need a couple brawlers to keep him safe. You can spend time in the penalty box, but to get suspended you’d really have to go above and beyond. Also, the ref won’t always try to stop a fight unless it’s completely one sided. Just too dangerous to get in there. Honestly, I think I’ve seen maybe 2 or 3 games that didn’t have a fight at all. There’s almost always a scuffle out there.

70's-80's bench clearing brawls are the best to watch. WHA fights are good too Steve Durbano vs Kenny Morrison.

Hockey has calmed down a lot, fights like most of these are a thing of the past. I miss it

They allow way less than they used to, but typically, if two guys square up they let them fight until one guy goes down. It's a five minute penalty for fighting, and if someone was deemed the instigator they get two minutes for instigating. Team's used to keep a fourth line player just to fight when necessary that was colloquially referred to as an enforcer or a goon. With that being said, I highly suggest watching the movie "goon" it's probably my favorite sports movie that doesn't start with the word Rocky.

in Canada we like to say that we went to a boxing match and suddenly a hockey game broke out

Not a fight stat, but one of the best stats I've ever seen post game. Rangers versus the Flyers back in the 90s Post game stats: Jeff Beukeboom 47 knock downs 1 taken. Eric Lindros 1 knockdown 47 taken. lol. That means Jeff did nothing but terrorize only Lindross through the entire game. Averaging one knockdown per minute. Rarely, do you ever see a stat like that. I think this is the year after they won the cup.

Fighting is part of the sport. A famous saying is I went to see a fight and a hockey game broke out.

Canada hockey, we grow up fighting. i fought in junior high-school and loved it

Sometimes when in Canada you can go to fight night and sometimes a hockey game will break out....

if you instigate the fight you get 2 minutes and 5 minute penalty, which means there will have to be someone else in the box to serve the 2 minute penalty for the player resulting in being short handed (5v4) but if its just a clean fight where both participants verbally agreed its just 5 minutes for each player. Both players will be in the penalty box for 5 minutes and a whistle due to the game being 5v5

Best fights Detroit vs Denver 1995-2002

Its rough when you look at what happened to Crosby in Pittsburgh without these guys

You really should watch Birth of a Rivalry, Colorado vs Detroit 1997. It really is amazing that the rivalry carried over from one year to the next.

3:49 Naaaaah, they get a nice pat on the back and told to "carry on".

The Bench Brawls (when everybody leaves the bench to go fight) are not allowed anymore. Players leaving the bench to go fight can get 5 to 10 games suspension. Teams get fined too if it happens.

Fighting is usually a 5 minute penalty and often a game misconduct. Also about 20 years ago the NHL introduced the third man in penalty which was a game misconduct and reduced the line brawls. Finally coming off the bench is an automatic game misconduct which eliminated the bench brawls. Most of these videos are before these penalties. Fighting today is usually 2 guys, quick, and quickly to the bench for 5 minutes. Going into the stands never happens. Players would get arrested. Every once in a while some knucklehead comes down and tries too assault a player. Rarely but its happened. Fan gets thrown out (lucky if he’s not beaten up first)

The fight in the stands was because a fan through a beer bottle at a player

Boston vs Dallas, 3 fights and 2 goals in 90 seconds...epic

The rules around fighting have changed over the years. Generally, worst you'll get is to be charged an extra two minutes for instigating, although there may be a penalty that started the whole thing that can result in a suspension. There was a criminal case that was brought up in a fight in 1997, if I recall correctly between Donald Brashear and Marty McSorley that was instigated by one McSorley swinging his stick at Brashear. Also, it used to be a sign of respect to take your helmet off before a fight, but now that's banned because, sadly, a youth hockey player got knocked onto the helmet he had tossed aside and lost his life as a result. There used to be players on the roster who were just there to fight. A man named Dave Semenko was basically Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard. If someone hit Wayne, they had to fight Dave. That's largely gone away, but there are still big, tough dudes who are willing to scrap.

The reason why they fight is to protect their star players. If you hit my teammate, who happens to be the best on the team, I’m going after you. Sometimes if you’re losing the game you will start a fight just to get your teammates fired up.The reason why the referee won’t stop it is because he can get hurt. Both players get a 5 minute penalty each. If they get into another fight ( in the same game) 5 minute penalty and game misconduct, meaning your kick out from the game. Fighting is an important part of the game because without it you will have guys running around hitting and hurting others without any consequences.

You have to watch the game live to really enjoy it. The crowd can get pretty rowdy too.

Other than "The Code", I'd recommend "the beauty of hockey"... also... nhl's hardest hits. Keep in mind NHLers play 82 regular season games with MANY back-to-back...plus travel and practices. You can fit 5.5 NFL seasons into ONE nhl season. There's also the dangle and best saves vids which show how coordinated one must be.

Theres a saying in Canada. "went to watch the fights and a hockey game broke out"