Canucks vs. Flames: Line brawl erupts on opening faceoff

The referees in Vancouver didn't have much time to settle into the game before a line brawl erupted on the opening faceoff.

Flames coach Bob Hartley decided to start the game with his fourth-liners. Vancouver coach John Tortorella, stunned by this decision, decided to send out his goons as well.

Predictably, things went south very quickly.

As expected, all of them were sent to the penalty box or to the dressing room, resulting in one heck of a box score.

By the way, that was Kellan Lain's NHL debut. It might be the shortest debut in league history.

Meanwhile, the sin bin got a little cramped.

Party in the penalty box! pic.twitter.com/hle9XrC6mh

— Jen LC (@bhawksfanjen) January 19, 2014

Happy Hockey Day, Canada!

More from SB Nation NHL:

• Canadiens struggles aren’t going away without change

• Ryan Suter’s incredible, record-setting workload

• Potty Mouths: The SB Nation hockey blog profanity rankings

• Photo: Here’s Dodger Stadium with an ice rink

• Olympics: Injuries might alter Canada’s roster | USA roster analysis

• Olympic rosters shouldn’t be built with NHL restraints