Latvian NHL history was made Thursday night when Vancouver Canucks centre Teddy Blueger fought countryman Uvis Balinskis of the Florida Panthers.
As noted by Patrick Johnston of Postmedia, it was the first-ever NHL fight between two Latvian players.
Tempers flared as the Panthers defenceman prevented Blueger from joining in a second-period scrum. Pushing led to shoving, before the two players dropped the gloves. Balinskis slipped early in the fight, so it was a short bout, but each player was still assessed a five-minute major penalty.
It was an eventful game for Blueger, who also scored a goal in what turned out to be the Canucks’ first win of the season.
Earlier tonight, #Canucks Teddy Blueger & Panthers Uvis Balinskis had the first all-Latvian fight in NHL history pic.twitter.com/n9XkbntjQT
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 18, 2024
Just five Latvian players have played in the NHL this season, according to the league’s official stats. The Canucks have two of them, Blueger and Arturs Silovs. The others are Balinskis, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons, and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
Just 28 players in NHL history are listed as from Latvia on the league’s official website, so maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the two combatants met up after the game.
Still, it was a funny sight to see two players hug it out post-game after fighting earlier in the night.
Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy caught the heartwarming moment.
Blueger and Balinskis threw hands during the game and then met for hugs after the game. #canucks pic.twitter.com/4gHceglAmA
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) October 18, 2024
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