Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and New York Islanders captain Anders Lee dropped the gloves on the opening face-off of Thursday night's NHL game at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Officials blew the whistle just one second after the puck was dropped as Tkachuk and Lee were apparently looking to get their respective teams pumped up for a tough game. The crowd certainly appreciated the game kicking off with such a jolt of intensity.
Brady Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves right off the opening face-off 🥊 pic.twitter.com/Tm3AuxfM98
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 19, 2026
Naturally, both captains were sent to the penalty box with 5-minute major penalties for fighting. It is pretty rare to see the team captains fighting on the opening puck drop, although we have seen occassions where both front lines fought each other after the face-off.
As of this writing, neither team seemed to gain a particular advantage after the fight. At the end of the first period, the game is still scoreless. The Senators seem to be in greater need of a victory as they are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff position, while the Islanders are in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
