NHL Fights 2024-25
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.
Mathieu Olivier (CBJ) leads NHL players with 15 fights in the 2024-25 regular season, 5 more than Brandon Duhaime (WSH) and Mark Kastelic (BOS).
Most fights, 2024-25
Mathieu OlivierCBJ15last Apr 13
Brandon DuhaimeWSH10last Apr 10
Mark KastelicBOS10last Mar 8
Patrick MaroonCHI9last Mar 30
Marcus FolignoMIN9last Mar 29
Michael McCarronNSH9last Mar 18
Nashville Predators0.4537 in 82 GP
Boston Bruins0.3730 in 82 GP
Utah Mammoth0.3730 in 82 GP
When fights happen
Of 297 regular-season fights in 2024-25, 126 came in period 1, 101 came in period 2, 70 came in period 3. 42 started in the first five minutes of a game, often a scheduled bout off the opening faceoff; 59 came with one team ahead by three or more goals and 85 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, 2024-25
| # | Player | Fights | Inst. | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathieu OlivierCBJ | 15 | – | Dylan McIlrath, Simon Benoit, Bokondji Imama, Jonah Gadjovich +11 |
| 2 | Brandon DuhaimeWSH | 10 | – | Jalen Chatfield, Tyson Jost, Noah Gregor, Dominik Shine +5 |
| 3 | Mark KastelicBOS | 10 | – | Emil Lilleberg, Marcus Foligno, Zack Ostapchuk, Mathieu Olivier +4 |
| 4 | Patrick MaroonCHI | 9 | – | Jack McBain, Tyler Tucker, John Hayden, Liam O'Brien +4 |
| 5 | Marcus FolignoMIN | 9 | – | Johnathan Kovacevic, Mark Kastelic, Luke Schenn, Keegan Kolesar +3 |
| 6 | Michael McCarronNSH | 9 | – | Jake Neighbours, Jonah Gadjovich, Barclay Goodrow, Patrick Maroon +4 |
| 7 |  Jack McBainUTA | 8 | – | Patrick Maroon, Zemgus Girgensons, Darnell Nurse, Jake Middleton +4 |
| 8 |  Tanner JeannotLAK | 8 | – | Matt Rempe, Brendan Smith, Vincent Desharnais, Ryan Lomberg +4 |
| 9 |  Keegan KolesarVGK | 7 | – | Chris Wagner, Jordan Greenway, Oliver Wahlstrom, Marcus Foligno +2 |
| 10 |  Tyler TuckerSTL | 7 | – | Andreas Englund, Patrick Maroon, Cole Smith, Jack McBain +3 |
| 11 |  Barclay GoodrowSJS | 7 | – | Jakub Lauko, Jason Dickinson, Andreas Englund, Jayden Struble +3 |
| 12 |  Nikita ZadorovBOS | 7 | – | Jordan Greenway, Sam Bennett, Erik Cernak, Mathieu Olivier +3 |
| 13 |  Ryan LombergCGY | 7 | – | Jakub Lauko, Kyle Burroughs, Tanner Jeannot, Derek Forbort +3 |
| 14 |  Jonah GadjovichFLA | 6 | – | Alex Tuch, Mathieu Olivier, Joseph LaBate, Michael McCarron +2 |
| 15 |  Andreas EnglundNSH | 6 | 1 | Michael Pezzetta, Tyler Tucker, Barclay Goodrow, Matt Rempe +2 |
| 16 |  Arber XhekajMTL | 6 | – | Keaton Middleton, Ross Johnston, Matt Rempe, Patrick Maroon +2 |
| 17 |  Cole SmithNSH | 6 | – | Tyler Tucker, Vincent Desharnais, Sam Bennett, Luke Kunin +2 |
| 18 |  A.J. GreerFLA | 6 | – | Josh Dunne, Corey Perry, Arber Xhekaj, Vasily Podkolzin +2 |
| 19 |  Emil LillebergTBL | 6 | – | Mark Kastelic, Trent Frederic, Brayden Schenn, Brandon Duhaime |
| 20 |  Liam O'BrienUTA | 6 | – | Patrick Maroon, Brenden Dillon, Nicolas Deslauriers, Bokondji Imama +2 |
Regular season. 264 players have fought.
More fighters, 2024-25
- Zemgus Girgensons TBL5
- Corey Perry EDM5
- Jakub Lauko BOS5
- Brady Tkachuk OTT5
- Michael Kesselring UTA5
- Nathan Walker STL5
- Brayden Schenn STL5
- Brenden Dillon NJD5
- Luke Schenn NSH5
- Dylan McIlrath WSH4
- Max Domi TOR4
- Jake Neighbours STL4
- Yanni Gourde TBL4
- Johnathan Kovacevic NJD4
- Matt Rempe NYR4
- Zachary L'Heureux NSH4
- Jacob Trouba ANA4
- Peyton Krebs BUF4
- Tom Wilson WSH4
- Sam Bennett FLA4
- Nicolas Hague VGK4
- Sam Carrick NYR4
- Adam Lowry WPG4
- Logan Stanley WPG4
- Nick Foligno CHI4
- Dennis Gilbert BUF4
- Ross Johnston ANA4
- Brayden Pachal CGY4
- Trent Frederic BOS4
- Alex Tuch BUF3
- Derek Forbort VAN3
- Kaiden Guhle MTL3
- Lawson Crouse UTA3
- Simon Benoit TOR3
- Michael Eyssimont SEA3
- Darnell Nurse EDM3
- Jordan Greenway BUF3
- Zack Ostapchuk SJS3
- Vincent Desharnais SJS3
- Luke Kunin CBJ3
204 more players fought one to a few times each.
Teams that fight the most, 2024-25
| Team | Fights | GP | Per game | Per 82 | Fighters | Most vs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville Predators | 37 | 82 | 0.45 | 37.0 | 11 | MIN (6) |
| Boston Bruins | 30 | 82 | 0.37 | 30.0 | 10 | TBL (4) |
| Utah Mammoth | 30 | 82 | 0.37 | 30.0 | 10 | CHI (4) |
 Columbus Blue Jackets | 28 | 82 | 0.34 | 28.0 | 12 | BOS (3) |
 San Jose Sharks | 25 | 82 | 0.30 | 25.0 | 12 | NSH (5) |
 St. Louis Blues | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 24.0 | 7 | NSH (5) |
 Buffalo Sabres | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 12 | ANA (2) |
 Calgary Flames | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 11 | VAN (4) |
 Minnesota Wild | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 9 | NSH (6) |
 Washington Capitals | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 8 | CAR (3) |
 Florida Panthers | 21 | 82 | 0.26 | 21.0 | 7 | BOS (3) |
 Tampa Bay Lightning | 21 | 82 | 0.26 | 21.0 | 9 | BOS (4) |
 Chicago Blackhawks | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 7 | NSH (4) |
 Los Angeles Kings | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 7 | CGY (3) |
 Toronto Maple Leafs | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 13 | CBJ (3) |
 Vancouver Canucks | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 12 | CGY (4) |
 Montreal Canadiens | 18 | 82 | 0.22 | 18.0 | 8 | NYR (3) |
 New York Rangers | 18 | 82 | 0.22 | 18.0 | 9 | MTL (3) |
 Ottawa Senators | 18 | 82 | 0.22 | 18.0 | 10 | BUF (2) |
 New Jersey Devils | 17 | 82 | 0.21 | 17.0 | 8 | DET (3) |
 Edmonton Oilers | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 7 | NSH (3) |
 Vegas Golden Knights | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 5 | UTA (3) |
 Philadelphia Flyers | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 9 | EDM (2) |
 Seattle Kraken | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 10 | SJS (3) |
 Winnipeg Jets | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 7 | BOS (3) |
 Anaheim Ducks | 12 | 82 | 0.15 | 12.0 | 6 | BUF (2) |
 Colorado Avalanche | 11 | 82 | 0.13 | 11.0 | 7 | VAN (2) |
 Dallas Stars | 10 | 82 | 0.12 | 10.0 | 6 | MIN (2) |
 New York Islanders | 10 | 82 | 0.12 | 10.0 | 8 | TBL (2) |
 Carolina Hurricanes | 9 | 82 | 0.11 | 9.0 | 7 | WSH (3) |
 Detroit Red Wings | 9 | 82 | 0.11 | 9.0 | 8 | NJD (3) |
 Pittsburgh Penguins | 7 | 82 | 0.09 | 7.0 | 6 | BUF (1) |
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 2024-25
| Date | Fight | When | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9 | Darnell Nurse EDM vs Jonah Gadjovich FLA | P3 10:29 · 1-5 · playoffs | EDM at FLA |
| May 12 | Nicolas Hague VGK vs Trent Frederic EDM | P1 4:36 · 0-1 · playoffs | VGK at EDM |
| Apr 15 | Nico Sturm FLA vs Zemgus Girgensons TBL | P3 8:28 · 1-4 | FLA at TBL |
| Apr 13 | Mathieu Olivier CBJ vs Dylan McIlrath WSH | P1 1:14 · 0-1 | CBJ at WSH |
| Apr 12 | Derek Forbort VAN vs Yakov Trenin MIN | P3 4:12 · 1-2 | MIN at VAN |
| Apr 12 | Rasmus Sandin WSH vs James van Riemsdyk CBJ | P2 13:48 · 0-6 | WSH at CBJ |
| Apr 12 | Sean Kuraly CBJ vs Ryan Leonard WSH | P2 11:53 · 0-6 | WSH at CBJ |
| Apr 12 | Kaiden Guhle MTL vs Max Domi TOR | P2 8:46 · 0-0 | MTL at TOR |
| Apr 12 | Jonah Gadjovich FLA vs Alex Tuch BUF | P3 2:45 · 1-2 | BUF at FLA |
| Apr 11 | Michael Pezzetta MTL vs Hayden Hodgson OTT | P2 15:41 · 2-4 | MTL at OTT |
| Apr 10 | Logan O'Connor COL vs Elias Pettersson VAN | P3 9:34 · 3-1 | VAN at COL |
| Apr 10 | Nikolaj Ehlers WPG vs Sam Steel DAL | P3 12:22 · 4-0 | WPG at DAL |
| Apr 10 | Jalen Chatfield CAR vs Brandon Duhaime WSH | P1 6:08 · 1-0 | CAR at WSH |
| Apr 9 | Jake Neighbours STL vs Corey Perry EDM | P1 8:21 · 0-0 | STL at EDM |
| Apr 9 | Bobby McMann TOR vs Brayden Point TBL | P3 9:25 · 3-2 | TOR at TBL |
| Apr 8 | Keegan Kolesar VGK vs Chris Wagner COL | P1 13:14 · 1-0 | VGK at COL |
| Apr 8 | Tye Kartye SEA vs Lawson Crouse UTA | P3 15:35 · 1-7 | SEA at UTA |
| Apr 6 | Michael Pezzetta MTL vs Andreas Englund NSH | P1 10:13 · 0-1 | MTL at NSH |
| Apr 5 | William Eklund SJS vs Eeli Tolvanen SEA | P3 19:25 · 5-1 | SEA at SJS |
| Apr 5 | Simon Benoit TOR vs Mathieu Olivier CBJ | P3 8:59 · 0-4 | CBJ at TOR |
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 2024-25 the league had 297 regular-season fights in 1312 games (0.23 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 2024-25?
Mathieu Olivier had the most fights in the 2024-25 regular season, 15; Brandon Duhaime is next with 10.
Which NHL team fights the most in 2024-25?
NSH had 37 fights in 82 regular-season games (37.0 per 82 games), the most per game in the league in 2024-25.
How many fights are there per NHL game?
In 2024-25 there were 297 fights in 1312 regular-season games, or 0.23 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 297 regular-season fights in 2024-25, 42% came in the first period and 20% with one team ahead by three goals or more.