The Boston Bruins faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night during the NHL Stadium Series. The game ended in a 6-5 shootout loss for the Boston Bruins. The game had many great moments, and has been hailed as one of the best outdoor games of the 45 outdoor games in the league's history.
And as part of this spectacle, where it saw the craziest second period, one thing stood out. A goalie fight.
Goalie Fight In Stadium Series
With 8:59 remaining in the second period, after a shot from Tampa Bay Lightning's Brandon Hagel, Jeremy Swayman decided he wanted to start a scrum after taking a stick through the pads, trying to find the loose puck.
Next thing we know, Andrei Vasilevskiy was skating down the ice towards the Bruins' end, and Jeremy Swayman went out to meet him.
WE HAVE A SWAY VS VAS GOALIE FIGHT!!!! 🥊😱 pic.twitter.com/bwdY73tVyK
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 2, 2026
It is the second goalie fight in the last two weeks of the NHL season, something that hasn't happened since February 1st, 2020, before that.
First Goalie Fight for Boston Since 2011
This was the first goalie fight for the Black and Gold since February 9, 2011, where Tim Thomas fought Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price. We all know the rivalry between Montreal and Boston, so it makes sense that there was a goalie fight then.
What is surprising is that, this was the first one since then. You would think the physicality of Boston, would lead to goalies being apart of that and getting involved in scrums. However, goalie fights are extremely rare events in hockey, as most of the time they are not needed in the scrums, but also get penalized for leaving their crease when it comes to joining in on fights.
This fight was the first career fight for both Swayman and Vasilevskiy. This is not the first time Swayman, however, has wanted to fight another goaltender. There have been 3 most recent near-misses. Most recently was on March 24, 2025, when Swayman and the Los Angeles Kings' Darcy Kuemper dropped the gear at center ice but were not allowed to continue. On March 7, 2024, Swayman challenged Toronto Maple Leafs' Joseph Woll, but nothing came out of that. On November 11, 2023, Swayman and Canadien's Sam Montembeault were in a scuffle, but no real fight.
Swayman seems to be a goalie who likes the idea of getting physical. We will see who else answers his challenge.