Tempers flared toward the end of the Red Wings' 3-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday, which is no big thing between division rivals. You can expect to see even more fights than usual this season with so many of the same matchups on repeat. Detroit and Columbus square off again Tuesday night.
The wrinkle on Monday was in the two combatants: former college roommates and longtime friends Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski. Even as they were wailing on each other, they couldn't help but laugh.
Well, at least Werenski, who was grinning the moment Larkin dropped his gloves following some chaos in the Blue Jackets' crease.
"I was kind of laughing during it," Werenski said. " We weren’t holding back. I was trying to win the fight, and I think he was as well."
Larkin and Werenski weren't just teammates for a season at Michigan. They were teammates for four years on the Belle Tire Hockey Club growing up. Monday's bout was made even funnier by the fact that Larkin had left Werenski's parents tickets for the game.
"Once I kind of realized it was him, with everything going on, him leaving tickets for my family, my parents being here, my friends, pretty funny just how it all worked out," Werenski said.
How it all worked out on Monday, and how it all worked out at large. From winning state championships in youth hockey to chucking knuckles in the NHL.
"I never would have guessed that would happen, but that’s the best part of hockey -- you never know," Werenski said. "I’m gonna have to get a picture of it blown up and framed in my house, because it’s pretty surreal that we’re in the NHL fighting each other."
They both appeared to land a blow or two, albeit fist to helmet. Asked to declare a winner, Werenski grinned again and said, "He didn't hit me."
"I didn’t really feel anything. I won’t say much if I hit him or not, I don’t really know," he said. "But I didn’t get hit so I’ll take it as a win."
If Werenski was happy to indulge the questions following the Blue Jackets' win, Larkin wasn't so thrilled on the other side. He said he took exception to Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo taking a whack at a Red Wings player after the whistle.
"I saw Korpisalo in there with his stick. I was kind of late to the pile and didn't like it. As I tried to jump in I think I elbowed Zach, didn't make him happy. We fought and that was it," Larkin said. "We've had plenty of battles. It was just part of the game."
Should we expect an encore on Tuesday?
"I don't really know," said Werenski. "It’s definitely different with these two-game type series."
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