If there is one thing in hockey that still brings people up, regardless of what game it is, it is a hockey fight. I don’t know what it’s like about seeing two fighters who have thrown out their gloves and helmets for some fists, but the crowd always responds to seeing this battle. On the other hand, one of the worst battles that can happen in an ice rink is a goalkeeper fight thanks to neither players who know a lot about throwing bumps. Fortunately, goalie fights are rare, so seeing one in a regular season game means that hockey is definitely back. Get ready to be disappointed by this display from Russia.
From the game that took place in Russia earlier today, Avangard Omsk laid a beating on Admiraal Vladivostok in the third period when the rough stuff began. After skirmishes where player washing face while pushing and pushing, goalkeepers Andrei Mishurov and Adam Huska decided to go into the fist.
That fight was no more -landed bumps than a real fight, but Avangard’s Mishurov threw a few hay makers who avoided the Huska of Admiraal. Huska got a blow that landed on the side of Mishurov’s head before Mishurov threw a quick puncture that was connected, but there is your first goalkeeper fight in the hockey season 2025-26, people.
What could be a strange twist on this fight is that Mishurov last season was Admiral Vladivostok’s start -up burst before he went back to Avangard Omsk, where he started his KHL career. The 24-year-old goalkeeper achieved a career-high six penalty minutes in 2023-24, so he is just a minor penlaty removed from setting a new career high. I don’t think head coach Guy Boucher wants Mishurov to fight in other games, but it’s the KHL where everything is far from normal.
In the meantime, Huska had a career-high six minutes in the Sin Bin in 2021-22 when he was at the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. Since he jumped to the KHL in 2022-23, he has collected only one small penalty in three seasons, so this fight is completely out of the norm for him. That was pretty clear for how he dealt with himself in the fight, but Huska doesn’t even take small punishments, so seeing the glove and Blocker was a new turn. However, I doubt that he will look for more.
Neither of the players were lucky, because you never want to see a player hurting in a fight, but a goalkeeper fight is the most unnecessary in hockey, simply because all teams need their best goalkeepers who stop pucks, do not throw bumps. Vechten Opzij, Mishurov improved this season to 2-0-0 in the 6-1 victory by Avangard, while Huska fell to 3-3-3 with Admiraal. Losing the fight and the game cannot feel good for Huska.
Personally, goalkeepers are fighting stupid and completely unnecessary. I hope this is the last we will see this season, but a goalkeeper fight on October 1 means that the hockey season is officially coming!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
#unnecessary