This is hockey in its most weird and pure form.
At the very end of the second period of the Canada/USA game, the Ducks’ Corey Perry crashed into the Red Wings’ Justin Abdelkader right at the buzzer. Abdelkader didn’t appreciate Perry’s flying elbow during a meaningless pre-tournament game, so the two scrapped in the corner. A melee ensued and it was the greatest melee to ever melee.
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[adinserter name=”nation-ad”]Here were my favorite moments:
1) After getting punched in the head several times, the villain of the next Bond movie, Perry, fogs up his windshield because his helmet is shoved over his face.
2) Hockey Chewbacca Brent Burns has fought only 10 times in his 12-year NHL career and is generally a chill, non-violent dude. But on same night that CM Punk ironically got put to sleep during UFC 203, Burns put Abdelkader in a rear-naked choke, causing the forward’s face to turn as red as his own jersey.
3) Finally, standing right behind melee was a blood-thirsty Canadian child who was having the time of his life. As Burns went for the submission finish on Abdelkader, the boy began slamming his hand against the boards. His smile showed his braces. This moment made him a fan for life.
This was the second of two back-to-back pre-tournament games between the United States and Canada, but judging by the intensity you’d never guess that.
