Kapanen reveals why he finally dropped the gloves in rare NHL fight

The Toronto Maple Leafs came out strong on Thursday night, reminding us that they can still fight for a playoff spot after a convincing 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

And top forward Kasperi Kapanen also reminded us he can fight. Literally. 

After Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist took a couple of runs at rookie defenseman Rasmus Sandin late in the second period, Kapanen intervened. He got a cross-check up high for his troubles before dropping the gloves with Pittsburgh’s Jared McCann. 

This was just Kapanen’s second fight in the NHL and many fans were surprised to see him drop the mitts without hesitation. 

After his team’s win, Kapanen explained why he wanted to fight: he was looking for the Gordie Howe hat trick. 

“I guess I was kind of looking for one (smiled) but I’m just trying to play the game.”

While Kapanen recorded the third tally of the contest, he unfortunately did not managed to get an assist. 

Surprisingly enough, he did get the fight!