Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington refuses to fight Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark

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Daniel Lucente
October 30, 2024 (12:59)

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The St. Louis Blues got blown out by the Ottawa Senators last night and tempers started to flare. There was nearly a goalie fight that ultimately didn't happen.

The NHL came about an inch from blowing the roof off for fans, nearly getting the season's first goalie fight. Fans and players alike prepared themselves for what could be an intense fight as emotions boiled over during a one-sided affair between the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators. With the score 7-1, a one-sided affair in which the Blues were getting dominating, the stage was set for emotions to run high. Goaltender Jordan Binnington, already known for his hot temperament, jumped into a scrum and immediately found himself face-to-face with Ottawa's captain, Brady Tkachuk.

On cue, with Binnington joining the fray, many anticipated he would indeed throw down, considering his character and how he gets under opponents' skin. He already made the ice hot for his movement toward Tkachuk. A full-on fight was in the making, so everyone held their breath because this seemed like a perfect scenario to see an all-time great goalie fight that breaks up the regular in-game tension. But just as quickly as Binnington arrived, he backed off and skated safely away towards his bench, seemingly de-escalating the situation.

But just when it seemed like that fight was off the table, Ottawa's goalie Linus Ullmark skated out to near center ice and issued a direct challenge to Binnington, a will-you-or-won't-you threat to throw down in classic goalie fashion. Ullmark's bold approach was a clear call to arms for a showdown, and for one tantalizing moment, fans were at the edge of their seats waiting to see something that doesn't happen very much anymore: a goalie fight. Ullmark's challenge was bold, but it would not be enough to bring Binnington back into action.

The much-awaited fight came to a sizzling halt as Binnington chose not to take up the challenge thrown by Ullmark. For all the tension at that moment, due to Binnington's choice to leave the scene, fans were filled with disappointment and frustration when it didn't happen. With that said, many were still thinking, why not accept Ullmark's challenge and give the people what they want to see in a big game like that? After all, there is something about goalies fighting that adds an extra layer of drama, allowing fans to leave an event remembering something.

Unfortunately for hockey fans everywhere, that never came to be. Rather than an epic goalie battle, we ended up with a few heated exchanges and the ultimate feel of what might have been. We were so close to one of the NHL's rare moments, instead, fans left the arena with feelings of being robbed of what would surely have been one of the highlights of the season.