Post-whistle scrums are common in the NHL. What is not common is to see a superstar goalkeeper join the fight after the whistle.
During the New York Rangers’ 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday in New York, star goalie Igor Shesterkin charged right into the middle of the fight and was ready to swing.
The Rangers were up 3-0 with 12:51 left in the third period on the Senators when things got crazy at Madison Square Garden.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers leaves the box to confront Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Madison Square Garden on January 21, 2025 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk chased a loose puck around the neck and collided with Rangers star goalie Igor Shesterkin, sending the goalie back into his own goal.
The five Rangers players on the ice immediately went to defend their goalie as they surrounded Tkachuk.
Then the rest of the Senators players on the ice came to their captain’s defense, and eventually every Rangers and Senators skater paired up with each other in a shoving match.
As all the chaos unfolded, Shesterkin hunched at the crease, composing himself.
Then suddenly, as the chaos began to subside, Shesterkin stood up and charged straight into the melee and went after Tkachuk.
Tkachuk saw Shesterkin coming and hit the goalie’s helmet, knocking Shesterkin down, as Shesterkin threw a blocker toward Tkachuk.
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Then Tkachuk, whose right arm was held by Rangers forward Matt Rempe, shoved Shesterkin before the referees intervened and removed Shesterkin from the scrum.
While Shesterkin was being taken away, Rempe, known for fighting in his short time in the NHL, went after Tkachuk.
But a referee stood between the two and didn’t let them fight, even though Rempe and Tkachuk threw punches around the referee.
Once order was restored on the ice, the referees met and handed out many penalties.
Shesterkin was assessed a two-minute penalty for leaving the goalie’s zone. Rempe received a double minor penalty for mistreatment.
Tkachuk also received a double minor penalty for roughing and was also called for goaltender interference.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers challenges Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators after a collision near the net. (Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Senators center Shane Pinto also received a minor penalty for roughing up Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers ended the power play after all the penalties, and Artemi Panarin capitalized to make it 4-0.
Alexis Lafrenière, Arthur Kaliyev, Rempe, Panarin and Will Cuylle scored in the Rangers’ victory.
The Rangers are 7-1-3 in their last 11 games and are back in the wild-card race after a terrible stretch in which they won just four of 19 games in December.
Igor Shesterkin faces Brady Tkachuk. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
For Shesterkin, it was his second straight game with a shutout, saving all 20 of the Senators’ shots on net.
The Rangers look to continue their winning streak when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at 7 pm ET.
The Senators will face the Boston Bruins on Thursday at 7 pm ET.
