Karl Alzner wasn’t really worried about the fighting code on Friday night. Tampa Bay Lightning pest Steve Downie goaded him into the first fight of his NHL career.
“Well, I just didn’t have much of a choice there,” Alzner said. “He had my stick and I couldn’t really get that free.”
So when he and Downie dropped the gloves, it didn’t matter much to Alzner that he was wearing a visor. It’s an unwritten rule that players usually take helmets with visors off to fight.
“That’s not one of the rules for me, at least,” Alzner said Saturday morning. “You fight when you fight; just whatever happens, happens. I’m not going to take my visor off so I can fight. That’s just not my style; I’d rather keep my eyes.”
Alzner held his own in the fight, though it’s hard to argue that he won.
“He did good,” said coach Dale Hunter, who fought 165 times in the NHL. “Downie’s a tough fighter and he did real well against him.”
