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Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj discloses Zack Kassian threatened to "beat the sh*t out of" him
Throughout his short NHL career, Arber Xhekaj has made a name for himself as an enforcer. In his rookie season, Xhekaj made waves, racking up 101 penalty minutes in just 51 games and putting the rest of the league on notice. One of his most memorable moments from that year was his fight with Zack Kassian.
Kassian has a reputation for being an incredibly physical player who can throw down with the best of them. Despite that, he was bested by Xhekaj in their fight on Oct. 20, 2022, during a Montreal Canadiens versus Arizona Coyotes game. In an episode of the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast published on Aug. 20, 2024, Xhekaj spoke about the altercation:
"He's looking at me and I'm just smiling at him like I don't know why but I was just like I was smiling at him laughing, he's like 'What the f**k are you looking at?' And then I was like 'I'm looking at you,' and whatever he got pissed at that
"And then off the draw I guess he told [Chris] Wideman like 'Hey man I'm gonna beat the s**t out of this kid,' and Wideman's like, 'Hey man' like, 'He can hold his own like it's not going to go how you think it's going to go.'"
Check out the clip below, beginning shortly after the 2-hour 22-minute mark.
Arber Xhekaj opens up about second shoulder surgery ahead of 2024-25 NHL season
Last season, Xhekaj played 44 games for the Montreal Canadiens and 17 games for the Laval Rocket in the AHL. He led the team in penalty minutes despite playing in just 44 games. However, he wound up undergoing shoulder surgery in April, marking the second straight year that his season was cut short by the same injury.
Despite the second surgery, Arber Xhekaj bounced back for an impressive 2023-24 season without feeling the effects of a surgically repaired shoulder. During an interview with The Hockey News earlier this offseason, he said:
"I don't think so. I mean, after I fixed my right shoulder, I didn't look back at it. And it didn't really affect my game at all. ... I don't feel any different. And I don't feel worried at all about changing my game. Or maybe I don't feel worried about that. So I feel fully strong and mentally strong as well."
With a new two-year contract in the books, the future looks bright for Arber Xhekaj as he prepares for the 2024-25 season.
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