Tag: Hockey

Sean Strickland Basks in the Chaos of USA’s Big Win Over Canada: ‘I Love Me Some Hockey Fights’

Sean Strickland Basks in the Chaos of USA's Big Win Over Canada: 'I Love Me Some Hockey Fights'Sean Strickland loves himself some hockey fights. Recently, the former UFC middleweight champion took to social media to share…

Sean Strickland Basks in the Chaos of USA's Big Win Over Canada: 'I Love Me Some Hockey Fights'

Sean Strickland loves himself some hockey fights.

Recently, the former UFC middleweight champion took to social media to share his love for scraps on 200-foot-long slabs of ice. Strickland’s comment was also accompanied by a clip from the USA vs. Canada game on February 15 that saw the Americans score three unanswered goals to walk away with a big win at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

“I love me some hockey fights,” Strickland wrote on X.

And just to hammer home how awesome hockey fights can truly be, here are NBC Sports’ 10 greatest hockey fights of all time for no particular reason.

Sean Strickland blames Canada for his first loss to Dricus Du Plessis

Strickland may appreciate Canada’s national sport, but he’s by no means a fan of the country itself. After coming up short via a razor-close split decision against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, ‘Tarzan’ expressed his frustration with not getting an immediate rematch and even went so far as to blame Canada (pun not intended) for not leaving Toronto with the middleweight title still strapped around his waist.

“You know I don’t care about fight politics or a belt,” Strickland posted. “But, it makes me laugh they give Izzy a rematch to Alex [Pereira] after getting slept. I lost a close decision that Dana [White] himself thought I won. Everyone did. The stats did. That needs to be run back.

“And man, I don’t want to pull this card, but when does the Champ ever lose a close fight?” he added. “When you’re in Canada with a bunch of dirty f*cking leftists.”

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Unfortunately, Strickland can’t blame Canada for coming up short against ‘DDP’ once again at UFC 312. That one was all him.

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UFC Legend Georges St-Pierre Provokes a Night of Fights at Hockey’s 4 Nations Face-Off

UFC Legend Georges St-Pierre Provokes a Night of Fights at Hockey's 4 Nations Face-OffUFC legend Georges St-Pierre made a memorable appearance at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, held at the Bell Centre…

UFC Legend Georges St-Pierre Provokes a Night of Fights at Hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre made a memorable appearance at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, where he introduced Team Canada ahead of their game against Team USA. The event marked the first edition of this international hockey tournament, featuring players from Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden. The tournament replaces the NHL’s traditional All-Star Game and serves as a showcase of top talent ahead of the league’s return to Olympic competition next year.

Georges St-Pierre at the 4 Nations Face-Off

Georges St-Pierre’s introduction set the stage for an electrifying match between Canada and the United States. The game began with an explosive start, as three fights broke out within the first nine seconds of play.

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Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel clashed immediately after the opening faceoff, followed by Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett dropping gloves on the subsequent faceoff. Moments later, J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko engaged in another fight, thrilling the crowd at the Bell Centre.

Despite Canada’s early energy and an opening goal by Connor McDavid, Team USA secured a 3-1 victory. Jake Guentzel scored twice for the Americans, including an empty-net goal, while Dylan Larkin netted the game-winner after capitalizing on a turnover by Sidney Crosby. The win guaranteed Team USA a spot in Thursday’s final in Boston, while Canada must defeat Finland in regulation on Monday to secure their place in the championship game.

UFC Hall of Famer and one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes, the Montreal crowd roared for Georges St-Pierre as he is a paragon of the Bell Center. ‘Rush’ St-Pierre recaptured his welterweight throne at UFC 83 in the building and later defended his crown at UFC 154. Overall in his career he defended his title in nine bouts and would go up in weight to capture middleweight gold. For his achievements in MMA, the Canadian athlete is largely considered the greatest of all time.

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The 4 Nations Face-Off continues to deliver high-intensity hockey and passionate rivalries, with Montreal providing a fitting backdrop for this unique event.

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Non-MMA Video of the Day: Epic Semi-Pro Hockey Brawl Ends in Bro Fives and Hugs

It’s a real shame that most hockey fans unfamiliar with MMA might never know that the greatest hockey brawl of all time actually took place during an MMA fight. No, not Bosse vs. Alexander, I’m talking about Frye vs. Takayama.

Frye vs. Takayama is the kind of epic, go-for-broke brawl that transcends all sports, really — the kind of fight that threw away technique, common sense, and any semblance of a gameplan and simply boiled down to pure machismo and who had more of it (Frye, obviously). And on Saturday night, hockey finally got its Frye vs. Takayama, in the form of a brawl between Joel Theriault and Gaby Roch that took place during a Quebec-based LNAH semi-pro game.

The feeling out process lasts approximately 5 seconds before Theriault and Roch clinch up and start unloading bombs on one another. Clearly not having read my column on MMA moves that would serve well in a hockey fight, neither player opts for a guillotine choke or Muay Thai plum, but even more incredible than Theriault and Roch’s grit and unbreakable chins is what they do once the refs finally step in. First they high-five, then they hug.

It’s one of those rare, truly beautiful moments that cannot even be ruined by the presence of Five Finger Death Punch’s music blaring in the background. Because, as the classic Mr. Show “I’ll marry your stupid ass” sketch has taught us, there’s a mutual respect to be found when someone realizes that the person they are quarreling with is as much a badass as they believe themselves to be. And hopefully, this fight will help bridge the gap between hockey and MMA fans for years to come.

–J. Jones

It’s a real shame that most hockey fans unfamiliar with MMA might never know that the greatest hockey brawl of all time actually took place during an MMA fight. No, not Bosse vs. Alexander, I’m talking about Frye vs. Takayama.

Frye vs. Takayama is the kind of epic, go-for-broke brawl that transcends all sports, really — the kind of fight that threw away technique, common sense, and any semblance of a gameplan and simply boiled down to pure machismo and who had more of it (Frye, obviously). And on Saturday night, hockey finally got its Frye vs. Takayama, in the form of a brawl between Joel Theriault and Gaby Roch that took place during a Quebec-based LNAH semi-pro game.

The feeling out process lasts approximately 5 seconds before Theriault and Roch clinch up and start unloading bombs on one another. Clearly not having read my column on MMA moves that would serve well in a hockey fight, neither player opts for a guillotine choke or Muay Thai plum, but even more incredible than Theriault and Roch’s grit and unbreakable chins is what they do once the refs finally step in. First they high-five, then they hug.

It’s one of those rare, truly beautiful moments that cannot even be ruined by the presence of Five Finger Death Punch’s music blaring in the background. Because, as the classic Mr. Show “I’ll marry your stupid ass” sketch has taught us, there’s a mutual respect to be found when someone realizes that the person they are quarreling with is as much a badass as they believe themselves to be. And hopefully, this fight will help bridge the gap between hockey and MMA fans for years to come.

–J. Jones

Non-MMA Knockout of the Day: McLaren KO’s Dziurzynski in Leafs-Senators Game, 0:26 of Round 1

(Props: fcfightlog via Deadspin)

During yesterday’s NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, Toronto left-winger Frazer McLaren and Ottawa forward David Dziurzynski dropped their gloves just 26 seconds into the first period, and after a few seconds of Fyre/Takayama’ing, McLaren shut the Senators rookie completely off with a right hand. Dziurzynski fell directly onto his face following the knockout blow, reportedly suffering a concussion. Dziurzynski didn’t return to the game, and required eight stitches to close a cut on his chin. Toronto went on to win the game 5-4. As McLaren explained afterwards:

“I hope he’s OK,” McLaren told the Canadian Press, adding that he had asked Dziurzynski to fight because the Maple Leafs started out flat in their last game. “I was just trying to get us going early. I asked him (to fight) and he actually said no, so I thought we weren’t going to go and then he ended up dropping his stuff there when the puck dropped. He’s a big guy and he actually gave me a few good ones early there.”

Hockey. The child porn of ice sports.


(Props: fcfightlog via Deadspin)

During yesterday’s NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, Toronto left-winger Frazer McLaren and Ottawa forward David Dziurzynski dropped their gloves just 26 seconds into the first period, and after a few seconds of Fyre/Takayama’ing, McLaren shut the Senators rookie completely off with a right hand. Dziurzynski fell directly onto his face following the knockout blow, reportedly suffering a concussion. Dziurzynski didn’t return to the game, and required eight stitches to close a cut on his chin. Toronto went on to win the game 5-4. As McLaren explained afterwards:

“I hope he’s OK,” McLaren told the Canadian Press, adding that he had asked Dziurzynski to fight because the Maple Leafs started out flat in their last game. “I was just trying to get us going early. I asked him (to fight) and he actually said no, so I thought we weren’t going to go and then he ended up dropping his stuff there when the puck dropped. He’s a big guy and he actually gave me a few good ones early there.”

Hockey. The child porn of ice sports.