Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not known as a fighter, but he's now referred to as "Rocky" to his Edmonton Oilers team-mates after taking on the role of enforcer against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It was a brilliant night for the Oilers, as they beat their Canadian rivals 5-2 on Wednesday to return to winning ways. Connor McDavid scored two goals for the fifth consecutive game, but the crowd really went wild as a fight broke out in the third period.
The Leafs were frustrated by a spirited Oilers performance all night, and Justin Holl took his anger out on Kailer Yamamoto as he delivered a cheap hit on the winger. Nugent-Hopkins didn't appreciate it at all, and was straight on his case as the gloves dropped - and he got the better of the large defenseman.
Nugent-Hopkins only had three career fights heading into Wednesday's game, but after taking on a larger opponent and coming out on top, he may have proved himself as a tough customer. Nugent-Hopkins is certainly not small as he stands at six feet tall, and he proved his fearlessness in taking on Holl and putting him down on the ice.
The Oilers star has been with the franchise ever since he was drafted in 2011, and become a strong fan favourite ever since. He's been known primarily as "Nuge" but as he returned to the locker room, his team-mates were chanting the name "Rocky".
The fight may not have lasted long, but Nugent-Hopkins delivered some brutal blows before bringing his opponent down. The 29-year-old hasn't been involved in a fight since 2020, but seemed to enjoy his trial at being their enforcer.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft was proud of Nugent-Hopkins after the game, and said he's not surprised that no.93 is such a loved team-mate. "I would say for me, I really enjoy seeing somebody get into that type of situation on behalf of a teammate that he felt it was a cheap shot," Woodcroft said after the game.
"I thought he acquitted himself really well versus a man who is bigger than him and it fired up the fanbase, it fired up the bench and it fired up the coaching staff. You can see why he's such a beloved teammate."
Even with five goals to celebrate on the night, one of the loudest cheers came when Nugent-Hopkins took Holl's cheap shot personally and threw down the gloves. Rogers Place erupted as Nugent-Hopkins was adjudged to have won the battle, and the Oilers need more physical threat about them if they are to be a threat in the play-offs this year.
