At around the 2:15 mark of the highly entertaining video above (h/t @Adam_KOL), Caps assistant coach (who is remaining Caps assistant coach) Dean Evason talks about his first NHL fight. Who was it?
"In Quebec, and I fought Dale Hunter three times in the game. And I believe that was my first regular season [fight]."
The indispensable HockeyFights.com corroborates that it was Evason's first... and second... and third fight. But what Evason doesn't tell us (besides the fact that it was New Year's Eve) is that those three fights all came in one period - at the 6:27, 11:51 and 17:37 marks of the middle frame. What that means (for the mathematically challenged) is that after serving their majors for the first fight, the two pugilists dropped the mitts a second time just 24 seconds after being released from the sin bin, then had at it again 46 seconds after doing their second five-minute stints in the box (though Hunter apparently didn't receive a fighting major for the third bout). The Globe and Mail the following day noted:
At times, the second 20 minutes appeared to be more of a wrestling match than a hockey game as Dean Evason and Dale Hunter squared off three times before they were both finally ejected at 17:37.
Happy New Year indeed, and after a night like that, perhaps it's no wonder Hunter has kept Evason around - any rookie who throws down with him three time in one period has to be aces in Dale Hunter's book.
Oh, and once happy days return to Caps land, someone has to ask these two about that night...
