Hamilton fighter front and centre at Canucks, Flames brawl

Inside the Game: Flames/Canucks brawl 6:11

Condensed Game for Flames vs Canucks 2:56

After just two seconds of ice time on Saturday night, Hamilton's Brian McGrattan was in the Calgary Flames dressing room and his blood was being scraped off the ice.

McGrattan was front and centre on the ice during a wild first-period brawl Saturday night between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks and then again in the hallway with Canucks coach John Tortorella.

The Hamilton-born enforcer was standing between Tortorella and members of his own coaching staff, who very nearly came to blows over the incident.

The opening minutes of the last NHL game as part of Hockey Day in Canada, which the Canucks narrowly won 3-2 in a shootout, was more Slapshot than pro hockey. It hearkened back to a time when teams like the Broad Street Bully-era Philadelphia Flyers and the Big Bad Boston Bruins waged wars on the ice.

"I don't think anybody expected that," said Flames defenceman Chris Butler, one of eight players ejected from the game.

"It's been a while since something like that happened, five guys pairing off."

Starting the 'goon squad'

The Flames raised a red flag by putting their fourth line on the ice to start the game. The Canucks countered with their tough guys. It took just seconds for all five skaters from each team taking the opening faceoff drop their gloves and began throwing punches.

McGrattan was left bloodied in a fight with Vancouver tough guy Tom Sestito who ESPN's Keith Olbermann recently called a "6-foot-5 inch, 228-pound boxing hobo on skates."

After the fight, Sestito patted McGrattan on the back of the head.

"They started their goon squad over there," said Sestito, who leads the NHL with 167 penalty minutes in 47 games. "I just don't think we're going to be backing down from guys."

Ironically, both Sestito and McGrattan remained in the game.

Minor league callup Kellan Lain's first game as a Canuck was brief. He was tossed for fighting with Calgary's Kevin Westgarth, who has no points in 21 games for the Flames.

Also receiving game misconducts were Vancouver's Dale Weise plus defencemen Kevin Bieksa and Jason Garrison. Shown the door for Calgary was Westgarth, Blair Jones, Ladislav Smid and Chris Butler.

In the aftermath of the brawl Tortorella could be seen yelling at the Flames bench.

Later in the period, Calgary's Mark Giordano punched Vancouver's Alex Burrows in the face. Burrows was wearing a facemask to protect a broken jaw. It was his first game since Dec. 1.

Locker-room scuffle

The bad blood wasn't confined to the ice. At the end of the first period CBC cameras captured Tortorella attempting to go into the Flames locker room at Rogers Arena. McGrattan pushed him away.

Flames goaltender coach Clint Malarchuk came out of the Flames dressing room after Tortorella and McGrattan were separated. Malarchuk followed Tortorella, but was restrained by several members of Calgary's staff and McGrattan.

Much of the altercation appeared off camera, but another camera showed Vancouver defenceman Chris Tanev pulling Burrows back toward the Canucks dressing room.

Tortorella refused to comment on the incident but made no apologizes for the lineup he started.

"I know the other guy across the bench," he said. "It's easy for people to say 'well put the Sedins out there and it's deflated.' I can't put our players at risk like that.

"With the lineup that he had, I'm not going to put those types of players at risk and that's what ensued. I'm not proud of it. I've apologized to every one of the players involved in it. I don't feel great about it at all."

Flames' coach Bob Hartley was left shaking his head over Tortorella charging his team's dressing room.

"I just don't understand," he said. "I got out of there. I don't need to get suspended or fined.

"There is nothing to be settled there. I just don't understand what was going on."

Hartley also defended his starting lineup.

"Those guys are playing well for us," he said. "They got a goal last game. We're not scoring many goals. We had zero intentions there.

"As far as I know they were the home team. They had the luxury to put whoever they wanted on the ice."

The teams combined for 188 penalty minutes in the first period. Vancouver was called for 95 minutes in penalties.

Tortorella will have an in-person hearing with NHL officials on Monday.

What did you think of the fight-filled Vancouver/Calgary game?

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