The Edmonton Oilers had a rough first period Thursday night, and resident tough guy Luke Gazdic knew something had to change if his team was going to get back in the game. So Gazdic did what he’s known to do: pick a fight.
Gazdic, who stands an intimidating 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 240 pounds, rang the bell of one of the NHL’s biggest and baddest men in Bruins forward Milan Lucic. Unsurprisingly, Lucic answered that bell.
The two behemoths squared off near the boards at the Boston blue line early in the second period. The Oilers were down 3-1 at the time after allowing three first-period goals, and Gazdic was trying to change the momentum. You certainly could make the argument that he did as the two players exchanged some brutal right hands.
It helped jump-start the Oilers, but the early three-goal deficit ultimately was too much, as the Bruins hung on for a 4-2 win.
Gazdic spoke to the media after the game and admitted he was trying to turn things around some. He also said that while he has respect for Lucic, he’s had his eye on him for a while.
“He’s a strong guy. I have a lot of respect for him,” Gazdic told reporters. “He’s a guy I wanted a piece of, and I thought that playing him, he’s a guy I wanted to use a measuring stick. He’s fought a lot of tough guys, and I knew that if I had my shot to get him, then I would like to. So I found myself on the ice with him, and I made the most of it.”
See and hear more from Gazdic in the video below.
