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Montreal Canadiens enforcer Arber Xhekaj's thunderous hits on Sabres players, including Zemgus Girgensons and Casey Mittelstadt, sparked a flurry of reactions from fans, particularly Canadiens supporters.
The bone-crushing body blows delivered by Arber Xhekaj had fans comparing him to Toronto Maple Leafs rival Ryan Reaves.
"Trouba's little brother 😂 I can't wait till he meets Ryan Reaves again," a fan posted
In contrast to Reaves, who has faced criticism for his recent comments advocating for a return to a more violent style of hockey, Xhekaj's style of play resonated positively with fans who appreciate hard-nosed, physical hockey without crossing the line into dangerous territory. Interestingly, fans also noted Reaves' earlier avoidance of Xhekaj during a previous feud between the two players, contrasting it with Xhekaj's willingness to engage physically on the ice.
However, some fans were not as complimentary of Arber Xhekaj, with several complaining about his aggressiveness.
When Ryan Reaves and Arber Xhekaj ended up in massive brawl to mark first fight of 2023/24 NHL season
Hockey fans were treated to an early-season spectacle on Oct. 12 as Ryan Reaves of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens engaged in a heated brawl during their opening matchup of the 2023/24 NHL season.
With Reaves and Xhekaj both being enforcers, it was only a matter of time before the two scrapped on the ice.
The two players dropped their gloves, and Scotiabank Arena erupted. The brawl was a true heavyweight bout, with both players trading powerful punches and grappling for control.
It seemed as though neither Reaves nor Xhekaj was willing to back down and both wanted to have the final laugh.
Xhekaj managed to get the better of Reaves as he dropped the new Maple Leafs star on an empty net that had flipped over during their brawl.
The fight eventually came to an end as the officials stepped in to separate the combatants as they took the brawl to the ground with the goalpost ending up upside down.
Xhekaj was deemed the instigator of the fight and the Maple Leafs ended up getting a powerplay as Reaves ended up skating away with a smile on his face.
