There have been many fights throughout the history of the game that have happened between unexpected combatants. Even former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard has found his way into surprising altercations. He wasn’t shy to impose his will, especially if it meant lining his own pockets.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Owner famously used an ax to threaten the Hockey Night in Canada′s president, Ted Hough. He told Hough that he’d cut the television production cables and kill the broadcast of the upcoming game unless new lighting was paid for. Ballard also trapped Hough in a sauna to extort an extra million dollars for TV rights.
The Leafs have come a long way since Ballard’s ownership. They may not have the reputation as fighters but when tensions rise they’re not shy to drop the mitts. There have even been times that they have turned on each other.
NHL players are the best hockey talent in the world. They’ve made it to upper echelon of the game thanks to their natural talent, desire, and hard work. It takes a great level of compete in order to become an NHLer. That’s why, at times, when two competing interests don’t align, the situation can come to blows, even for players on the same team.
Although it does happen, it’s always surprising to learn when members of the Toronto Maple Leafs have a physical altercation with one another. Unfortunately, this has happened on a number of occasions. These are some of the most memorable times.
Toronto Maple Leafs Civil War
Dominic Moore v Jeff Finger
In 2008, with Leafs coach Ron Wilson away to watch the Toronto Marlies in action, assistant coaches Tim Hunter, Rob Zettler, and Keith Acton ran practice. As they ran the players through a defensive zone drill, two of the athletes engaged in some extra curricular activities.
Dominic Moore and Jeff Finger didn’t see eye-to-eye, leading to an explosion between the two. Finger nailed Moore with a cross-check, which initiated a back and forth exchange of punches between the forward and defenseman. Moore and Finger’s teammates quickly came to break them apart before anyone was hurt.
Carl Gunnarsson v Joey Crabb
In 2012, it was a cycle drill that pushed defenseman Carl Gunnarsson and forward Joey Crabb to square up. This time, Wilson was on the ice.
While practicing in front of the net, Gunnarsson and Crabb began jawing at one another leading to fisticuffs. Luckily, Nikolai Kulemin and one of the assistant coaches broke the two men apart fairly quickly. Gunnarsson and Crabb were both friends at the time and the disagreement turned to smiles shortly afterwards.
Phil Kessel v David Booth
There are times when things get heated between teammates but because fans or media aren’t around to see it, the argument stays in house. Unfortunately for Phil Kessel and David Booth in 2015, Chris Johnston was at the Toronto Maple Leafs practice facility when the pair of forwards had it out over a disagreement about a special teams drill.
Johnston reported that Kessel and Booth wrestled during practice. While punches weren’t thrown, the combatants were fervent in their attempt to gain the upper hand. Things got so intense that other Leafs players had to intervene and separate Kessel and Booth.
Mikhail Grabovski v Everyone
Mikhail Grabovski didn’t just fight against passing the puck to his teammates but he seemed to get into scraps with them too.
When Grabovski was playing his first season in Toronto, he layed a hit from behind during practice on his fellow forward, Jason Blake. Displeased with the blindside hit, Blake went back at Grabovski and the two began to fight.
One year later, Grabovski was at it again. This time, Blake played peacemaker breaking up Grabovski and his sparring partner, defenseman Francois Beauchemin. Oddly, this incident happened during stretches at the end of practice. In what appeared to be a calculated act, Grabovski grabbed and shook Beauchemin’s visor before throwing a jab at him. Beauchemin, did not retaliate. Hunter joined Blake in pulling Grabovski away from Beauchemin.
Grabovski had trouble keeping his fists in check over his career. He was even sued by a man in British Columbia who claimed that the Leafs alumni punched him in the face during the the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Grabovski was arrested by the Vancouver police but was never charged.
It can be easy for anyone to get caught up in the moment and allow anger to get the best of them. Hopefully, there aren’t many more tussles ahead for the Toronto Maple Leafs with their teammates.