Most people wouldn’t be happy to see a family member get in a fight, but the NHL is different.
Kings rookie Alex Laferriere made his NHL debut on Wednesday in Los Angeles, and while his team lost to the Avalanche, 5–2, the 2020 third-round pick still ended up on the highlight reel.
A scrum broke out in the second period after L.A.’s Pierre-Luc Dubois was whistled for tripping Fredrik Olofsson. While the officials were able to keep most of the players from losing their cool, Laferriere and Logan O’Connor’s scrap developed into a full-blown fight.
The rookie took a few solid blows to the head, but he held his own and was able to wrestle O’Connor to the ice. Once he won the fight, the camera cut to show Laferriere’s family in the stands, and they were celebrating like he’d just scored the game-winning goal.
First time I've seen a family celebrate a guy fighting in his NHL debut like Alex Laferriere's family pic.twitter.com/j6i0aHfQLs
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 12, 2023
Laferriere (not to be confused with Alexis Lafrenière, who was the No. 1 pick in 2020) turned pro last year after two seasons at Harvard. He played four games in the AHL late last season after the college season concluded and was initially assigned to the AHL to start this season. But he was called up from the minors on Monday in favor of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who was sent down.
Laferriere is still looking for his first NHL point, but he definitely made his family proud with that fight.
