Edmonton Oilers fans were treated to a heavyweight battle on Thursday night.
No, the UFC was not in town for an event. It was the anticipated rematch of Calgary enforcer Raitis Ivanans and Edmonton big man Steve MacIntyre. The pair dropped the gloves last week during a preseason game — a battle that lasted more than two minutes and ended in a disappointing draw.
So, naturally, in the season opener in Edmonton on Thursday night, they were back on the ice looking for blood.
They found it in the third period, when the two left wingers began sparring during a center ice faceoff. This time, MacIntyre got the last punch — and it was a doozy. While Mac may have lost his helmet first, it wasn’t his head that needed protecting.
Just 15 seconds into the fight, MacIntyre laid two consecutive punches into Ivanans’ chin, with the second connection knocking him to the ice. With the Edmonton crowd going wild, Ivanans struggled to get back up, stunned by the powerful slug.
It took three teammates to help the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Ivanans to the bench, while MacIntyre (6-foot-6, 265 pounds) instinctively skated to the locker room.
To watch the fight in its entirety, check out the video below.
