NHL Fights 2017-18
Every NHL fight of the season from the official play-by-play: the players and teams who fight most, the latest fights with links to each game, and how fighting has changed since 2017-18.
Micheal Haley (FLA) leads NHL players with 22 fights in the 2017-18 regular season, 9 more than Cody McLeod (NYR) and Tom Wilson (WSH).
Most fights, 2017-18
Micheal HaleyFLA22last Mar 31
Cody McLeodNYR13last Mar 17
Tom WilsonWSH13last Mar 16
Chris ThorburnSTL8last Mar 31
Travis HamonicCGY7last Mar 24
Jamie OleksiakPIT7last Mar 21
Florida Panthers0.6049 in 82 GP
Calgary Flames0.3831 in 82 GP
Anaheim Ducks0.3730 in 82 GP
When fights happen
Of 279 regular-season fights in 2017-18, 125 came in period 1, 88 came in period 2, 66 came in period 3. 40 started in the first five minutes of a game, often a scheduled bout off the opening faceoff; 53 came with one team ahead by three or more goals and 102 with the score tied.
Fights per game by season
| Season | Games | Fights | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 151 | 44 | 0.29 |
| 2025-26 | 1,312 | 306 | 0.23 |
| 2024-25 | 1,312 | 297 | 0.23 |
| 2023-24 | 1,312 | 311 | 0.24 |
| 2022-23 | 1,312 | 334 | 0.25 |
| 2021-22 | 1,312 | 330 | 0.25 |
| 2020-21 | 868 | 197 | 0.23 |
| 2019-20 | 1,082 | 194 | 0.18 |
| 2018-19 | 1,271 | 226 | 0.18 |
| 2017-18 | 1,271 | 279 | 0.22 |
Regular-season games we have play-by-play for. The current season is partial.
Fight leaders, 2017-18
| # | Player | Fights | Inst. | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Micheal HaleyFLA | 22 | 1 | Adam McQuaid, Jujhar Khaira, Cody McLeod, Braydon Coburn +15 |
| 2 | Cody McLeodNYR | 13 | 1 | Chris Thorburn, Micheal Haley, Matt Hendricks, Dale Weise +5 |
| 3 | Tom WilsonWSH | 13 | 1 | Ross Johnston, Mark Borowiecki, Josh Anderson, Alexander Petrovic +9 |
| 4 | Chris ThorburnSTL | 8 | – | Luke Schenn, Cody McLeod, Antoine Roussel, Mark Borowiecki +4 |
| 5 | Travis HamonicCGY | 7 | – | Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse, Chris Kreider, Alex Tuch +3 |
| 6 | Jamie OleksiakPIT | 7 | 1 | Michael McCarron, Zdeno Chara, Nick Bjugstad, Brendan Smith +3 |
| 7 |  Austin WatsonNSH | 7 | – | Tommy Wingels, Micheal Haley, Marcus Foligno, Troy Brouwer +3 |
| 8 |  Adam McQuaidBOS | 6 | – | Micheal Haley, Garnet Hathaway, Cody McLeod, Nikita Zadorov |
| 9 |  Garnet HathawayCGY | 6 | 1 | Brenden Dillon, Ross Johnston, Adam McQuaid, Micheal Haley +2 |
| 10 |  Alexander PetrovicFLA | 6 | – | Michael McCarron, Jake McCabe, Tom Wilson, Dillon Heatherington +2 |
| 11 |  Luke WitkowskiDET | 6 | – | Nick Ritchie, Nick Seeler, Stephen Johns, Micheal Haley +1 |
| 12 |  Mark BorowieckiOTT | 6 | – | Greg Pateryn, Tom Wilson, Chris Thorburn, Derek Dorsett +2 |
| 13 |  Matt MartinTOR | 6 | – | Nathan Beaulieu, Chris Thorburn, Zack Kassian, Matt Beleskey +2 |
| 14 |  Antoine RousselDAL | 6 | 1 | Chris Thorburn, Connor Carrick, Keith Yandle, Jamie McGinn +2 |
| 15 |  Andy AndreoffLAK | 6 | – | Micheal Haley, Kevin Bieksa, Derek Dorsett, Jared Boll +1 |
| 16 |  Zack KassianEDM | 6 | – | Ryan Lomberg, Brayden McNabb, Brandon Dubinsky, Matt Martin +2 |
| 17 |  Ryan ReavesPIT | 6 | – | Lukas Sedlak, Zach Bogosian, Liam O'Brien, Darnell Nurse +2 |
| 18 |  Corey PerryANA | 5 | – | Brad Richardson, Justin Abdelkader, Jamie Benn, Dion Phaneuf +1 |
| 19 |  Nicolas DeslauriersMTL | 5 | 1 | Aaron Ekblad, Jason Dickinson, Brandon Manning, Tom Wilson +1 |
| 20 |  Jujhar KhairaEDM | 5 | – | Micheal Haley, Cal Clutterbuck, Colin Miller, Christian Folin +1 |
Regular season. 264 players have fought.
More fighters, 2017-18
- Matt Hendricks WPG5
- Patrick Maroon NJD5
- Kevin Bieksa ANA5
- Milan Lucic EDM4
- Justin Abdelkader DET4
- Ross Johnston NYI4
- Ryan Kesler ANA4
- Nathan Beaulieu BUF4
- John Hayden CHI4
- Zac Rinaldo ARI4
- Brandon Manning PHI4
- JT Brown ANA4
- Marcus Foligno MIN4
- Kurtis MacDermid LAK4
- Josh Manson ANA4
- Kevan Miller BOS4
- Derek Dorsett VAN4
- Brad Richardson ARI3
- Dion Phaneuf LAK3
- Nikita Zadorov COL3
- Luke Schenn ARI3
- Tanner Glass CGY3
- Brenden Dillon SJS3
- Aaron Ekblad FLA3
- Darnell Nurse EDM3
- Max McCormick OTT3
- Nathan MacKinnon COL3
- Ryan Johansen NSH3
- Radko Gudas PHI3
- Jordan Nolan BUF3
- Derek MacKenzie FLA3
- Wayne Simmonds PHI3
- Ryan Lomberg CGY3
- Scott Hartnell NSH3
- Jamie McGinn FLA3
- Stephen Johns DAL3
- Troy Brouwer CGY3
- Chris Stewart MIN3
- Mike Liambas ANA3
- Matt Beleskey BOS3
204 more players fought one to a few times each.
Teams that fight the most, 2017-18
| Team | Fights | GP | Per game | Per 82 | Fighters | Most vs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | 49 | 82 | 0.60 | 49.0 | 14 | DAL (7) |
| Calgary Flames | 31 | 82 | 0.38 | 31.0 | 12 | EDM (5) |
| Anaheim Ducks | 30 | 82 | 0.37 | 30.0 | 11 | LAK (7) |
 Dallas Stars | 27 | 82 | 0.33 | 27.0 | 14 | FLA (7) |
 Boston Bruins | 26 | 82 | 0.32 | 26.0 | 12 | CBJ (3) |
 Edmonton Oilers | 26 | 82 | 0.32 | 26.0 | 9 | CGY (5) |
 Washington Capitals | 22 | 82 | 0.27 | 22.0 | 7 | NJD (3) |
 Detroit Red Wings | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 10 | FLA (5) |
 Los Angeles Kings | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 10 | ANA (7) |
 Nashville Predators | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 5 | DAL (3) |
 Philadelphia Flyers | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 9 | FLA (3) |
 Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 13 | CGY (3) |
 New York Rangers | 18 | 82 | 0.22 | 18.0 | 8 | PHI (3) |
 Ottawa Senators | 17 | 82 | 0.21 | 17.0 | 8 | SJS (2) |
 Arizona Coyotes | 16 | 82 | 0.20 | 16.0 | 9 | COL (3) |
 Montreal Canadiens | 16 | 82 | 0.20 | 16.0 | 9 | ARI (2) |
 New Jersey Devils | 16 | 82 | 0.20 | 16.0 | 12 | PHI (3) |
 New York Islanders | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 11 | PHI (3) |
 Pittsburgh Penguins | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 5 | CBJ (2) |
 Buffalo Sabres | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 7 | FLA (4) |
 St. Louis Blues | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 6 | ARI (2) |
 Chicago Blackhawks | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 7 | MIN (2) |
 Vancouver Canucks | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 8 | BOS (3) |
 Colorado Avalanche | 12 | 82 | 0.15 | 12.0 | 8 | ARI (3) |
 Minnesota Wild | 12 | 82 | 0.15 | 12.0 | 7 | CHI (2) |
 San Jose Sharks | 12 | 82 | 0.15 | 12.0 | 8 | CGY (2) |
 Toronto Maple Leafs | 12 | 82 | 0.15 | 12.0 | 6 | BUF (2) |
 Columbus Blue Jackets | 10 | 82 | 0.12 | 10.0 | 8 | BOS (3) |
 Carolina Hurricanes | 8 | 82 | 0.10 | 8.0 | 6 | FLA (3) |
 Vegas Golden Knights | 8 | 82 | 0.10 | 8.0 | 7 | EDM (2) |
 Winnipeg Jets | 8 | 82 | 0.10 | 8.0 | 3 | DAL (2) |
A fight counts once for each team in it. Early in a season a single rivalry game can top this table: per-team rates are noise until teams have played a few dozen games.
Last fights of 2017-18
| Date | Fight | When | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 23 | Braydon Coburn TBL vs Tom Wilson WSH | P1 15:07 · 1-0 · playoffs | WSH at TBL |
| May 21 | Brooks Orpik WSH vs J.T. Miller TBL | P1 15:48 · 0-0 · playoffs | TBL at WSH |
| May 3 | Kris Letang PIT vs T.J. Oshie WSH | P3 19:02 · 1-3 · playoffs | WSH at PIT |
| May 2 | Cedric Paquette TBL vs David Backes BOS | P2 15:12 · 3-1 · playoffs | TBL at BOS |
| May 1 | Nick Bonino NSH vs Jacob Trouba WPG | P3 1:32 · 3-4 · playoffs | NSH at WPG |
| Apr 20 | Jamie Oleksiak PIT vs Radko Gudas PHI | P3 4:47 · 2-2 · playoffs | PHI at PIT |
| Apr 13 | Nick Seeler MIN vs Ben Chiarot WPG | P3 19:53 · 1-4 · playoffs | MIN at WPG |
| Apr 13 | Daniel Winnik MIN vs Brandon Tanev WPG | P3 19:50 · 1-4 · playoffs | MIN at WPG |
| Apr 7 | Corey Perry ANA vs Brad Richardson ARI | P2 5:53 · 1-0 | ANA at ARI |
| Apr 2 | Dion Phaneuf LAK vs Nikita Zadorov COL | P1 9:49 · 0-1 | COL at LAK |
| Apr 2 | Roland McKeown CAR vs MacKenzie Weegar FLA | P2 14:18 · 2-2 | CAR at FLA |
| Mar 31 | Tanner Glass CGY vs Milan Lucic EDM | P3 10:50 · 2-3 | EDM at CGY |
| Mar 31 | Drake Caggiula EDM vs Mark Jankowski CGY | P3 5:22 · 2-3 | EDM at CGY |
| Mar 31 | Luke Schenn ARI vs Chris Thorburn STL | P2 5:42 · 0-2 | STL at ARI |
| Mar 31 | MacKenzie Weegar FLA vs Noel Acciari BOS | P3 12:38 · 1-5 | FLA at BOS |
| Mar 31 | Micheal Haley FLA vs Adam McQuaid BOS | P2 1:57 · 1-3 | FLA at BOS |
| Mar 30 | Steven Stamkos TBL vs Pavel Buchnevich NYR | P1 20:00 · 0-1 | TBL at NYR |
| Mar 29 | Matt Hunwick PIT vs Miles Wood NJD | P2 17:49 · 2-2 | PIT at NJD |
| Mar 29 | David Pastrnak BOS vs Dan Girardi TBL | P3 7:16 · 1-2 | TBL at BOS |
| Mar 27 | Zack Smith OTT vs Dennis Seidenberg NYI | P2 17:01 · 2-2 | NYI at OTT |
Score is away-home when the fight started.
How we count NHL fights
A fight is a fighting major in the NHL play-by-play. Both players usually get one at the same moment, so the pair counts as one fight and each fighter is credited once. When only one player gets the major, the opponent comes from the penalty's "drawn by" field. Instigator minors at the same moment are noted. Boards use the regular season; the recent list includes the playoffs.
Fight totals are small numbers. A team's fights per game move a lot on one rivalry night or one call-up, and a player's count depends on how many games his coach dresses him. In 2017-18 the league had 279 regular-season fights in 1271 games (0.22 a game); in 2017-18 it was 0.22 a game, in 2025-26 0.23.
For fantasy leagues that count penalty minutes, a fighting major is five PIM, so the leaders here are the players who swing a PIM category. Fights are not a betting edge here: we hold no prices for the occasional "fight in game" props some books post, and per-team rates this small are mostly noise from game to game.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the most fights in the NHL in 2017-18?
Micheal Haley had the most fights in the 2017-18 regular season, 22; Cody McLeod is next with 13.
Which NHL team fights the most in 2017-18?
FLA had 49 fights in 82 regular-season games (49.0 per 82 games), the most per game in the league in 2017-18.
How many fights are there per NHL game?
In 2017-18 there were 279 fights in 1271 regular-season games, or 0.22 a game. That compares with 0.22 a game in 2017-18 and 0.23 in 2025-26.
When do NHL fights happen?
Of the 279 regular-season fights in 2017-18, 45% came in the first period and 19% with one team ahead by three goals or more.