International hockey rivalries remain, even in early August, so it seems. Such was the case for Team Canada and Team Russia in the Sochi Hockey Open on Monday, where a line brawl broke out between the two clubs.
The scuffle was really little more than a few scraps, shoves, and lots of hugs rather than actual fisticuffs, but it was quite the gathering nonetheless!
Even though it's just a preseason for Team Russia-2 and Team Canada, it's still good old time vs game. #SochiHockeyOpen pic.twitter.com/Tl84L5YdI0
— KHL (@khl_eng) August 7, 2017
Winnipeg Jets forward Eric O’Dell started the brawl as he ran into a Russian player along the benches at the end of his shift. From there, a few Russian players congregated in front of the Canadian bench and the fight broke out after the other players on the ice realized what was happening.
Canada outshot Russia 36-22 in the game but failed to win in a 3-2 loss. The team, led by former Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins, has dropped to 1-1 in the tournament and will compete for third place on Wednesday against Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The Sochi Hockey Open is one of many pre-Olympic tournaments on the schedule and features Team Canada, Team Russia, and four other KHL teams in the run-up to February.