Madison Square Garden hosted a thrilling fight on Thursday night.
But it was no one expected, as in the first period of an NHL game between the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers, Matt Rempe and Ryan Reaves fought on the ice.
It was Rempe who began the fight as the pair exchanged heavy blows in the eventual Rangers' 6-5 loss.
During their fight, which saw a lot of grappling, Reaves' helmet fell off, but he was then able to knock off Rempe's with a right hook straight after.
Rempe had even got Reaves' jersey over his head as the bout lasted 20 seconds before linemen Shandor Alphonso and Matt MacPherson broke it up.
After their spat, Reaves saw the bright side as he gave some insight into their fight.
“Well, he asked to go off the draw," Reaves told reporters.
"I said I was gonna go run somebody first, and then it happened immediately. It was a good tilt.
“He’s a big boy, and you have to fight guys like that a little bit differently.
"I’ve seen him fight, so I know what he’s good at, what his weaknesses are. It was a good tilt.”
During the fight, fans chanted "Rempe! Rempe!" as players and fans alike were captivated by the old-school hockey fight taking place.
“It was unbelievable,” said the Sharks' Will Smith.
“It got us all going and can’t say enough about him.”
Rempe did not return to the game for the second period, with the Rangers announcing the 23-year-old was out due to an upper-body injury.
His head coach, Mike Sullivan said Rempe needed to be checked.
“He’s being evaluated right now for an upper-body injury,” he told reporters.
The fight was also a slight mismatch with Reaves being 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, while Rempe is 6-foot-9 and 261 pounds.
Furthermore, Reaves was not wearing a visor while Rempe was.
The 38-year-old is one of four players in the league who don't wear a visor since they were introduced over a decade ago.
“Most of the guys coming in that fight have to wear visors, so if anything, I’m at a disadvantage,” Reaves added.
“I miss fighting guys with no visor because I cut my hands a lot more, and they’re able to protect themself a little bit more. I find I’ve got to get through an extra layer to get to the face.”
Maybe to the dismay of some fans, fighting in the NHL is not a common occurrence anymore.
There used to be fistfights almost every other game, according to the Associated Press.
Overall, fights are down 200% since the 2000-01 season.
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