Does Rick DiPietro Rank Among the Most Memorable Goalie Fights? (VIDEO)

Unless you were under a rock for the last week, you probably saw the recent goalie fight between Pittsburgh Penguin Brent Johnson and New York Islander Rick DiPietro.

The ever-fragile DiPietro decided to check a fight off of his bucket list and got his face destroyed in the process.

Goalie fights can be great and when they break out, let the fun begin.

The list that follows are 10 of the most memorable goalie fights.

Enjoy!



Cam Ward vs. Michael Leighton

Nothing can make a working relationship more awkward than exchanging fisticuffs.  It’s not good business ethics.

When Cam Ward and Michael Leighton fought in the minors, they had no idea that one day they would be on the same team.

The fight itself shows that they really didn’t like each other at that moment, so I wonder what the relationship was like in Carolina?

Patrick Roy vs. Chris Osgood

The Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche rivalry in the late 1990s was one of the most intense rivalries in NHL history.

Patrick Roy was willing and able to get involved in the fight, and Chris Osgood didn’t seem to be as willing in this video.

Roy and Osgood got into a good scuffle but Osgood had to be baited into fighting before he finally agreed.  That's why it's not higher on this list.

Chris Chelios vs. Ron Hextall

When the discussion of talented fighters who played goal arose after DiPietro’s destruction, people compared Patrick Roy to Ron Hextall.

The video explains why Roy was not in the same arena as Hextall when it came to intimidation.  Roy just stands there trying to muster the courage to go after Hextall, but he couldn’t.

Hextall was suspended eight games for this incident, which was the longest suspension for a goalie in the history of the NHL.

Tim Cheveldae vs. Curtis Joseph

Anytime you had Bob Probert being overshadowed on a telecast during a fight, you know something special was happening.

Curtis Joseph wasn’t known as a fighter and neither was Tim Cheveldae.  When they got together during a scrum, the whole arena had to turn and watch.

This was an odd fight that showed both men were better off in net.

Patrick Roy vs. Mike Vernon

Another battle during the rivalry between Colorado and Detroit during the late 1990s through the 2000s was that of Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon.

A fight that occurred before was an epic battle that had Claude Lemieux turtling while he got pummeled and in which the teams showed their true animosity toward each other. 

The goalie fight between Roy and Vernon was just another extension of the hatred throughout both teams.

Garth Snow vs. Steve Shields

It didn’t look like this fight was going to happen until Steve Shields decided to skate down the ice.  The referees broke it up and it didn’t look like it was going to happen again.

Snow and Shields came together again as a linesman tried to break it up and got caught in the middle of a slugfest.

The fight was epic because of the buildup and the fact that they started fighting each other when there was still a person in between them.

Rick DiPietro vs. Brent Johnson

Brent Johnson needs to get more credit than he is being given for this fight.  Everyone seems to be saying it’s a DiPietro loss instead of a Johnson win.

When you side-step a referee and knock out the opposition’s goalie, leaving him sidelined for four to six weeks, you win.

People in the media have said DiPietro fell because he didn’t want to fight anymore but the slow-motion view shows his face getting crushed.

Ray Emery vs. Martin Biron

Ray Emery took boxing lessons and, judging by the video, Martin Biron did not.

Biron looks like a deer in headlights during the fight and was in way over his head. 

I don’t think it was right for Buffalo enforcer Andrew Peters to fight Emery, but he looked willing and ready to go. 

The coaches almost fighting at the end was almost as good the actual goalie fight.



Dan Cloutier vs. Tommy Salo

This fight isn’t so much a fight as it was Dan Cloutier assaulting Tommy Salo.

Cloutier pummeled Salo for a good 20 seconds before he stops on his own. 

No referees were anywhere to be seen during this mauling and it was a bad moment for them to turn a blind eye.

The best part is when Cloutier calls out the whole New York Islander bench.  Insanity!



Ron Hextall vs. Felix Potvin

Ron Hextall against Felix Potvin was the best pure goalie fight I have ever seen.

The two throw overhand shots and land quite a few during the entire fight. Hextall and Potvin look like they have true animosity and are trading blows like they don’t like each other.

After a while, they put their heads down and just start throwing haymakers. Great stuff!