Goalie fight denied: Refs stop Bruins' Swayman and Kings' Kuemper from scrap

Hockey fans were almost treated to the ultra-rare goalie fight on Sunday night until the officials got in the way.

Late in the second period of Sunday's game between the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings, Bruins forward Marat Khusnutdinov crashed into Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper.

Kuemper was unhappy with the collision and ripped off Khusnutdinov's helmet, which started a scuffle in front of the L.A. crease. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman apparently didn't want to be left out of the fun, so he skated to centre ice and beckoned for Kuemper to join him.

The Kings netminder obliged as he skated to meet Swayman while both goaltenders shed their blockers and gloves. But the officials were too quick, and stepped in to stop the goalie fight in its tracks.

“(Kuemper) touched one of my guys, and I think that was something I’m not going to accept,” Swayman said after the game. “And kudos to him, he stepped up. Just it got broken up.”

In the end, both Kuemper and Swayman received two-minute penalties for leaving the crease. Kuemper also received a roughing penalty for stripping Khusnutdinov's helmet, while Khusnutdinov received two minutes for goaltender interference.

There has not been a goalie fight in the NHL since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last scrap between Edmonton’s Mike Smith and Calgary’s Cam Talbot happening on Feb. 1, 2020.

Officials also stepped in to keep St. Louis' Jordan Binnington and Minnesota's Marc-Andre Fleury from fighting in March 2023. Binnington was ejected and received a two-game suspension for throwing a punch at Wild forward Ryan Hartman.

Predictably, NHL fans were displeased that the referees got in the way of the two goalies trading haymakers. Here are some of the best reactions to the almost-goalie fight on Sunday.

— With files from the Associated Press