Ryan Reaves and Arber Xhekaj ended up in blows during Maple Leafs-Canadiens game to mark first fight of 2023 NHL season

VIDEO: Ryan Reaves and Arber Xhekaj end up in massive brawl to mark first fight of 2023/24 NHL season

Modified Oct 12, 2023 03:18 GMT

Hockey fans were treated to an early-season spectacle as Ryan Reaves of the Toronro Maple Leafs and Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Candiens engaged in a heated and intense brawl during their opening matchup of the 2023/24 NHL season.

This unforgettable showdown marked the first fight of the 2023/24 NHL season and has taken the internet by storm.

Tensions were running high in this faceoff between the fierce rivals. The fight erupted in the first period of the game after Reaves repeatedly checked Canadiens players early on.

With Reaves and Xhekaj both being enforcers, it was only a matter of time before the two scrapped on the ice.

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The two players dropped their gloves, and Scotiabank Arena erupted. The brawl was a true heavyweight bout, with both players trading powerful punches and grappling for control.

It seemed as though neither Reaves nor Xhekaj was willing to back down and both wanted to have the final laugh to settle their differences.

Xhekaj managed to get the better of Reaves as he dropped the new Maple Leafs star on an empty net that had flipped over during their brawl.

The fight eventually came to an end as the officials stepped in to separate the combatants as the took the brawl to the ground with the goalpost ending up upside down.

Xhekaj was deemed the instigator of the fight and the Maple Leafs ended up getting a powerplay as Reaves ended up skating away with a smile on his face.