Which scrap was the Bruins’ best this season?

Regardless of how you feel about it, fighting still has a place in today’s game. The Bruins may not drop the gloves as they did in the past, but the 2016-2017 season still had its fair share of bouts. Here’s a collection of a few noteworthy tilts, followed by a poll to vote for the Bruins 2016-17 Season Fight of Year.

Feb 4th, 2017: Matt Martin (TOR) vs. Adam McQuaid (BOS)

The first entry features two well known pugilists in Toronto’s Matt Martin and the familiar tough guy from Prince Edward Island, Adam McQuaid. This fight is spurred by a hit on Toronto star Auston Mathews. Martin is rarely outmatched in this area but McQuaid easily wins this bout via knockout, by way of a nasty right handed cross. This fight was also notable for the sustained complaints from Toronto fans regarding McQuaid’s visor. Bruins fans will note that McQuaid was returning from an injury, as he is one of the few remaining players to not wear a visor.

Jan 12th, 2017: Derek Grant (NSH) vs. Adam McQuaid (BOS)

Our next entry once again features McQuaid, this time against Nashville’s Derek Grant in a classic mismatched bout. This fight came after a fairly innocuous hit on McQuaid by Grant earlier in the sequence. McQuaid easily handles the newcomer Grant with a flurry of jabs before ending it on a powerful right uppercut. A hearty sticktap to the younger, less experienced Grant for engaging with a true pugilist in McQuaid.

Jan 26th, 2017: Scott Wilson (PIT) vs. Colin Miller (BOS)

Neither player is known for their fighting prowess, with Miller (3) and Wilson (5) combining for 8 total NHL fights. Miller connects with both hands and manages to take down Wilson rather quickly. You may remember Wilson from his brief fight against Beleskey earlier that month in Pittsburgh. The Bruins went on to win this game 4-3, led by Bergeron (1g, 1a) and Pastrnak (2a). While short on technique, this fight made up for it through sheer enthusiasm and effort.

Honorable Mentions: McQuaid vs. S. Harper (11/1/16) & C. McLeod vs. K. Miller (3/28/17)

Worst Fight of the Year Nominee: This one’s too easy. Here we have Jimmy Hayes staining Dorchester’s storied pugilistic history with this abomination of a “fight”.

Noteworthy Stats: The Bruins as a team fought 6 less times (28) than the previous season (34), led individually by McQuaid (5) & K. Miller (4), respectively. The Bruins continue to follow the league wide trend of declining fight numbers due in large part to increased penalties and rule changes designed to limit fighting, and subsequently, the leagues exposure to ongoing and future litigation. The Bruins had 20 fights under Claude Julien and 8 under Bruce Cassidy. The Bruins had 3 preseason and 0 postseason fights during the 2016-2017 season.