Colorado Avalanche center Matt Stienburg, back, fights with Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov in the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)AP
In his first game in the NHL, Colorado forward Matt Stienburg not only found himself in his first fight, but he did it against one of the biggest guys in the league.
Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov didn’t like Stienburg’s hit on Bruins forward Matt Poitras, and went after the rookie. He first slashed him before both men got into fight mode.
According to NHL official heights and weights, Steinburg, at 6-foot-1, 182-pounds, gives away five inches and 62 pounds to Zadorov, who is 6-foot-6, 248-pounds.
But while neither guy landed any true shots, Stienburg got the better of the fight aesthetically. Zadorov struggled to shed his gloves, while Stienburg grabbed the front collar of his jersey with his left and attempted to hit Zadorov in the back of the head several times with his right hand.
Zadorov got his left arm back far enough that his elbow prevent multiple punch attempts from landing. He eventually wrapped up the rookie and brought him down like a defensive end sacking a quarterback before the officials jumped in.
Stienburg’s father, an NHL scout who played parts of four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques, recorded a video of the fight on his phone.
Zadorov was given an extra two minutes for the slash. Colorado scored on the ensuing power play to cut the Boston lead to 4-2 and controlled momentum for the rest of the period.
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