All-Out War on the Ice Rink 🥊
The game has been coined as the “Brawl in Hockeytown” for a reason…
Hockey players and their fans are a different breed of cat. It’s the only sport where two guys can go at it, and the referees just sit, watch, and enjoy the fisticuffs along with the crowd until one player gets the better of it or they both run out of gas. Let’s take a look at the five craziest fights in NHL Stanley Cup Finals history that stole the headlines and made NHL news.
The Top 5
5. Colorado Avalanche vs. Florida Panthers (1996 – Game 4)
The NHL playoffs culminated in the Avs sweeping the Panthers via an unassisted goal in the third overtime by the notorious Uwe Krupp, but there were scuffles and scraps along the way.
Perhaps it was the beginning of the famous “Rat Trick” started by Florida fans, in which plastic rats were thrown onto the ice to celebrate goals, that captured our attention. Unfortunately for those fans, there wasn’t a single Cats’ goal in Game 4, and the Avs celebrated the Cup in front of a somber Florida crowd.
June 10, 1996: The Avalanche win 1-0 in triple overtime and sweep the Panthers to win the #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/5lBri88pgg
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) June 10, 2024
4. New York Rangers vs. Vancouver Canucks (1994 – Game 7)
This was a main event in which the Canucks were involved; only this one was merely a preview to the Boston powder keg that would erupt 17 years hence. The Rangers exorcised all those demons, dispelled the NHL rumors that they just weren’t good enough, and ended a 54-year drought and brought the Cup home back to Broadway. There wasn’t one apocryphal fight but rather a brawl when Canucks forward Trevor Linden took a wicked hit and his enforcer, Gino Odjick, was in the middle of the melee.
On this day in 1994… The Rangers defeated the Canucks in Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final to snap a 54-year championship drought. 🏒
This was also Messier’s 6th Stanley Cup! 😳 pic.twitter.com/k9PwzPCmAo
— Game 7 (@Game7Official__) June 14, 2023
3. Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins (1978 – Game 4)
If you have never seen 5’8” Stan Jonathan fight, catch a glimpse of this go-round with Montreal’s Pierre Bouchard. Jonathan was teamed with fellow enforcers Wayne Cashman, John Wensink, and Terry O’Reilly, which made this crop of the Big Bad Bruins the most ferocious ever.
Jonathan would split Bouchard wide open, with blood being splattered all over the ice and even on the referee as he tried to stop the carnage. However, the Habs would get the last laugh as they won the series, 4-2.
May 21, 1978
Bobby Schmautz scores at 6:22 of OT and the Boston Bruins defeat the Montreal Canadiens (4-3) to tie the Stanley Cup Finals up at 2 games a piece
The Canadiens also made the mistake of getting Stan Jonathan mad – not a good ideapic.twitter.com/M6a8oID1XM
— Rose (@UnknownModeX) May 21, 2020
2. Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers (1997 – Game 2)
The game has been coined as the “Brawl in Hockeytown” for a reason. The Red Wings would win their first of two consecutive Stanley Cups under legendary coach Scotty Bowman. The Wings were unfazed by the reputation of the Broad Street Bullies, and a total of nine altercations occurred as the boys were on a mission to exchange unpleasantries.
The fight between Darren McCarty and Eric Lindros stole the headlines, but not a lot of damage was done. Detroit would go on to win this game 4-2 and sweep the series.
21 years ago today, The Brawl in Hockeytown. #OldTimeHockey pic.twitter.com/wK9No9Zvla
— HockeyTown (@DetroitRedWingz) March 26, 2018
1. Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins (2011 – Game 3)
The Bruins have been known as big and bad for decades, but one of their prized pugilists is the underrated Shawn Thornton. The B’s enforcer had been a healthy scratch, but when falling behind 2-0 in the series, the coach decided to shake things up and inserted the 6’2” hammer into the lineup.
Within eight seconds on the ice, he announced his presence in a violent way and headed for Alex Burrows like a brown grizzly stalking its prey. Burrows had hit All-Star forward Patrice Bergeron a few nights before, and Thornton made him pay. The obligatory brawl ensued, and the Bruins won the game 8-1, eventually hoisting their first Stanley Cup in 39 years.
June 13, 2011
Bruins defeat the Canucks (5-2) in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the Boston Garden to tie the series at 3 games.
Brad Marchand
Had the 1st goal and also decided to use Daniel Sedin’s face as a speed bag
Why, you ask? Just because
pic.twitter.com/LSnwhOPmxA— Rose (@UnknownModeX) June 13, 2022
Fisticuffs in 2025
The 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Finals is a rematch from last year, and the Oilers are hoping for a little payback. However, as of this writing, they are down 2-1 in the series and were blown out at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, in Game 3 to the tune of 6-1.
GAME THREE CHAOS 🤯#TimeToHunt | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/qqB80c3SbX
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 10, 2025
Game 3 saw a total of 35 penalties, equaling 140 minutes in the sin bin. Edmonton’s Trent Frederic cross-checked Sam Bennett to kick things off, and soon there were heavyweight fights galore. Perhaps at the end of this series, we will see Game 3 of 2025 make our list of all-time craziest fights in Stanley Cup Finals history.
