The art of fighting is being progressively eliminated from the NHL these days. But every once in a while a fight comes along that reminds you of its importance in the sport of hockey.
On Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena.
Early in the game, just two full minutes into the first period, two sports heavyweights collided as Columbus' Mathieu Olivier took on Toronto's Ryan Reaves.
Olivier has only been playing in the NHL since the 2019-20 season, but has earned a reputation for battling at the senior-junior level and in the minor leagues.
Reaves, on the other hand, has been known as one of the best wrestlers in the league over the last decade.
The pair exchanged a series of blows, and Olivier seemed to connect with Reaves much more than the other way around. In the end, the officials broke up the fight and it appeared that Reaves even gave Olivier a blow to the chest to indicate a job well done.
Mathieu Olivier of the Columbus Blue Jackets (L) battles Ryan Reaves of the Toronto Maple Leafs (R) during the first period of a game in Toronto on Wednesday night.
The fight occurred early in the game, just two full minutes into the first half.
Columbus' Adam Fantilli scored his first NHL hat trick in a 5-1 loss over his hometown Leafs.
Unfortunately, in the broadcast audio of the audience it didn't seem like they were as enthusiastic about the fight as those throwing the punches themselves, which has become common among the Scotiabank crowd these days.
According to the site HockeyFights.com, which tracks fights in the NHL, AHL and Canadian junior levels over the years, this was Reaves' first fight of the season and Olivier's 10th.
Who voted on the site. rated the fight a 7.79 out of 10, with a majority of 47 percent of the 191 voters siding with Olivier as the winner of the fight at the time of publication.
Columbus got the spark it needed from the fight, defeating the Maple Leafs and winning 5-1.
Adam Fantilli, the Blue Jackets' first pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (third overall) scored his first NHL hat trick. The native of Nobleton, Ontario (just north of Toronto) was able to do it in his own backyard in front of his parents.
Columbus also saw goals from fellow Greater Toronto Area native Luca Del Bel Belluz and former Maple Leafs star James van Riemsdyk. Toronto's only goal came from captain Auston Matthews.
In just 168 games on the program, Olivier has accumulated 13 goals, 34 points and a whopping 239 penalty minutes. Reaves is much more experienced: he has played 877 games. He has accumulated 63 goals and 135 points along with a staggering 1,072 penalty minutes.
Toronto currently leads the Atlantic Division with 62 points in 49 games. Columbus is fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 53 points in 48 games and is currently in the first wild card spot with 34 games remaining in its season.