Scrums after the whistle are common in the NHL. What isn’t common is when you see a superstar goalie join the fracas after the whistle.
During the New York Rangers’ 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday in New York, star goalie Igor Shesterkin charged right into the middle of the fight and was ready to swing.
The Rangers were up 3-0 with 12:51 left in the third period over the Senators when things got crazy in Madison Square Garden.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers leaves the crease to confront Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Madison Square Garden on January 21, 2025, in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk went after a loose puck around the neck and ran into Rangers’ star goalie Igor Shesterkin, sending the goalie back into his own net.
The five Rangers players on the ice immediately came to their goalie’s defense as they swarmed Tkachuk.
Then the rest of the Senators’ players on the ice came to their captain’s defense, and eventually each Rangers and Senators skater paired off with one another in a shoving match.
While all the chaos unfolded, Shesterkin hunched over in the crease, gathering himself.
Then suddenly, as the chaos started winding down, Shesterkin got up and charged straight into the melee and went after Tkachuk.
Tkachuk saw Shesterkin coming and punched at the goalie’s helmet, knocking Shesterkin down, while Shesterkin threw a blocker toward Tkachuk.
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Then Tkachuk, whose right arm was being held by Rangers forward Matt Rempe, jostled with Shesterkin before the referees intervened and removed Shesterkin from the scrum.
As Shesterkin was being pulled away, Rempe, who is known for fighting in his short time in the NHL, went after Tkachuk.
But a referee got between the two, not letting them fight, despite Rempe and Tkachuk throwing punches at each other around the referee.
Once order was restored on the ice, the referees convened and doled out a lot of penalties.
Shesterkin was penalized two minutes for leaving the goalie’s crease. Rempe was given a double-minor penalty for roughing.
Tkachuk was also given a double-minor penalty for roughing, and he was also penalized for goalie interference.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers challenges Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators after a collision near the net. (Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Shane Pinto, the Senators’ center, was also given a minor penalty for roughing Rangers’ defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers ended up on the power play after all the penalties, and Artemi Panarin cashed in to make it 4-0.
Alexis Lafrenière, Arthur Kaliyev, Rempe, Panarin and Will Cuylle all scored in the win for the Rangers.
The Rangers are 7-1-3 in their last 11 games and have surged back into the wild-card race after a dreadful stretch in which they won just four of 19 games in December.
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Igor Shesterkin confronts Brady Tkachuk. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
For Shesterkin, it was his second straight game with a shutout, saving all 20 of the Senators’ shots on net.
The Rangers look to continue their winning ways when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Senators next face the Boston Bruins on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
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