Bruins heavyweight battles rookie in first NHL game

In his first game in the NHL, Colorado forward Matt Stienburg was not only in his first fight, but he was also fighting one of the league’s greatest players.

Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov didn’t like Stienburg’s hit on Bruins forward Matt Poitras and charged at the rookie. He slashed him first before both men went into fighting mode.

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According to the official NHL heights and weights, Steinburg, who is 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds, gives up five inches and 62 pounds to Zadorov, who is 6-foot-1 and 248 pounds.

But although neither of the two landed a real hit, Stienburg aesthetically prevailed in the fight. Zadorov struggled to remove his gloves while Stienburg grabbed the front collar of his jersey with his left hand and tried several times to hit Zadorov in the back of the head with his right hand.

Zadorov brought his left arm back so far that his elbow prevented several punch attempts from landing. He finally grabbed the rookie and brought him down like a defensive end sacking a quarterback before the referees intervened.

Stienburg’s father, an NHL scout who played parts of four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques, recorded video of the fight on his cell phone.

Zadorov received two additional minutes for the blow. Colorado scored on the ensuing power play, cutting Boston’s lead to 4-2 and controlling the momentum for the remainder of the period.