You don`t often see opposing players fighting on the bench, but that`s exactly what happened during Game 3 between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals in front of a roaring crowd at the Bell Centre on Friday.
As the horn sounded to end the second period, with the Canadiens holding a 3-2 lead, players began heading towards the dressing rooms. However, they were stopped short when a large-scale brawl broke out right in front of and spilled onto the Capitals bench.
Canadiens forward Josh Anderson and Capitals forward Tom Wilson singled each other out in the commotion. Their altercation continued right into the Washington bench area after the door opened, leading to wrestling right in front of the Capitals coaching staff, with a linesman caught in the middle trying to separate them.
Following the chaotic scene, Wilson and Anderson were each assessed two-minute penalties for roughing along with 10-minute misconduct penalties. Capitals forward Lars Eller and Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj also received two-minute penalties for roughing.
Tensions between the Canadiens and Tom Wilson had been noticeable since warm-ups, and the bench confrontation was the culmination of that friction. Wilson was even seen making a `crybaby` face towards the Canadiens after the scuffle had ended.
Tristan Blackwood