NHL rival teams fight during hockey game

February 23, 2007

Thursday night's NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators was a heated game with a fight that involved nearly all players from both teams including the coaches, Lindy Ruff of the Sabres and Bryan Murray of the Senators.

The reason for the fight was because Senators player Chris Neil, #25, caught the co-captain of the Sabres, Chris Drury, #23 with an elbow while he wasn't looking. The hit caused the co-captain to fall to the ice, stunned, with a possible concussion. Drury is said to be out for an undetermined amount of time.

Shortly after Drury was escorted off the ice, Adam Mair of the Sabres hit Jason Spezza of the Senators just before the face-off following the incident with Drury which sparked the fight between all of the 12 players on both teams, including both goalies, Martin Biron of the Sabres and Ray Emery of the Senators, who were both thrown out of the game. Emery had just returned to the ice rink after he was suspended for three games when he slashed Maxim Lapierre of the Montreal Canadians.

During the physical brawl with the players, both coaches Ruff and Murray were yelling at each other and at one point Ruff began to jump over walls separating the two teams from the penalty boxes however neither of the coaches ended up in a physical brawl.

"When something like that happens to one of your star players, you have to respond. The players did the right thing. You can't respond any other way," said Ruff in regards to the brawl between the players.

Murray accuses Ruff of sending several players to the ice in what he says was the initiation of the fight.

"I put out skill players and he sends out the five guys on his team that are going to start a fight," said Murray.

Ruff first denied that he sent players to the ice to start the fight saying "I'm not going to comment on what I had on my mind" in a press conference after the game, but then said he said "go out and run 'em."

As a result of the brawl, these penalties were handed out:
 * Ottawa fighting - 5 min  5:13, A. Volchenkov
 * Ottawa fighting - 5 min 5:13, R. Emery
 * Ottawa fighting - 5 min 5:13, R. Emery
 * Ottawa goalie leaving crease - 2 min 5:13, R. Emery
 * Ottawa game misconduct - 10 min 5:13, R. Emery
 * Ottawa misconduct - 10 min 5:13, C. Phillips


 * Buffalo roughing - 2 min 5:13, A. Peters
 * Buffalo instigator - 2 min 5:13, A. Peters
 * Buffalo fighting - 5 min 5:13, A. Peters
 * Buffalo game misconduct - 10 min 5:13, A. Peters
 * Buffalo instigator - 2 min 5:13, A. Mair
 * Buffalo fighting - 5 min 5:13, A. Mair
 * Buffalo misconduct - 10 min 5:13, A. Mair
 * Buffalo goalie leaving crease - 2 min 5:13, M. Biron
 * Buffalo fighting - 5 min 5:13, M. Biron
 * Buffalo game misconduct - 10 min 5:13, M. Biron
 * Buffalo misconduct - 10 min 5:13, P. Kaleta

The Sabres ended up winning the game 6-5 in a shootout when the only goal of the shootout was scored by Drew Stafford of the Sabres.

The Sabres and Senators will play their final game of the season between each other on Saturday February 24 at 7:00 p.m. [EST].