Arizona Coyotes player jumps Nick Foligno and immediately regrets it
Last night in a battle of rebuilding teams, the Chicago Blackhawks visited the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes laid a beating on the scoreboard, winning the game 8-1, but the Blackhawks still took their pound of flesh with a fight from veteran Nick Foligno.
At centre ice with the game long out of reach for a Blackhawks comeback, Coyotes' enforcer Liam O'Brien began chirping at Foligno. As the puck dropped, O'Brien was quick to throw off the gloves and go at Foligno, who seemed less interested in the fight. Even though he was the more unwilling partner, Foligno still destroyed O'Brien in what turned out to be a quality fight.
As the two drifted from Center ice towards the boards, both players were throwing and landing strong punches with consistency. Eventually, O'Brien had to put his hand on the glass to balance himself, and Foligno found his opportunity to fill him in and end the fight. After one strong punch from Foligno, O'Brien fell to the ice and the referees stepped in.
Foligno looked visibly reluctant to start the fight, with his team even pleading for a Coyotes' instigator penalty, and yet won the fight regardless. In the penalty box, O'Brien was seen with a clear shiner on his eye, and will probably show up to their next game with a full black eye.
Though now it's a battle of rebuilding teams, both squads are full of young talent and skill. The Coyotes may even be ahead in their rebuild, but the Blackhawks still have the phenom Connor Bedard. With both these teams looking to become playoff contenders in the next few years, it could be the beginning of a rivalry.
