It was probably the longest Nate has ever gone without smiling. In the second period of Saturday’s Bolts-Caps game, Nate Schmidt dropped his gloves with J.T. Brown. It was, as the olds say, a slobberknocker.

It all started after Brown cross-checked Schmidt into the Caps net. Schmidt stood up, and they danced. Luckily for the Caps defenseman, Schmidt’s helmet absorbed most of the punches. Once Schmidt’s helmet flew off, he threw two punches and wrestled Brown to the ice.

This was Schmidt’s first NHL fight and the third of his hockey career. HockeyFights.com says Schmidt fought twice in the USHL. That’s probably enough.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Lightning