It finally happened: the first fight between Matt Rempe and Arber Xhekaj.
And it was the player from the Montreal Canadiens who got the better of his towering opponent.
Arber Xhekaj takes care of Matt Rempe.
He knocks him down with his fists, then takes him down with a takedown.
And he fires up the crowd with a celebration… in true Xhekaj style. pic.twitter.com/o9BO0hBU2Q
— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) January 20, 2025
That was a heavyweight fight.
And Xhekaj electrifying the Bell Centre with a classic Xhekaj celebration is great to see.
We can also see that just before the fight began, the towering defender from the CH issued the invitation to Rempe, who did not hesitate for a second.
He should have waited a little longer before jumping on the defender, as he clearly threw the gloves before Xhekaj.
He came out unscathed from instigator penalties but still received a two-minute minor for roughing.
A few minutes before this furious fight, Josh Anderson had to head to the locker room due to his knee.
Josh Anderson probably done for the night after this freak accident, Kaliyev falls right on his leg. pic.twitter.com/rub5hs3L6H
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) January 20, 2025
A rather unfortunate sequence, but fortunately for Anderson and the CH, #17 quickly returned to the game around the middle of the second period.
#Habs Josh Anderson is already back on the ice. Wow! Didn’t expect that the way he was taken off earlier.
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) January 20, 2025
Overtime
Lately, #72 rarely drops the gloves, and when he does, it’s not the fierce defender who brings down just anyone. Tonight, we saw the real Arber Xhekaj: the one that everyone fears. In a tough match like this and the fierce competition in the Atlantic, the Tricolore will need the best Xhekaj they can get.