Union and Blue
Fansided

Oscar Night Columbus Blue Jackets Style

By Lansing Murphy

Feb 15, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of Nationwide Arena during the national anthem prior to the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of Nationwide Arena during the national anthem prior to the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Best Fight

Dec 31, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Chris Stewart (7) and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson (34) fight in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Chris Stewart (7) and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson (34) fight in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Nominated: Josh Anderson vs Alex Killorn, Josh Anderson vs Christ Stewart & Matt Calvert vs Matt Dumba

This category had the Academy the most divided. My esteem colleague Grant Miller lobbied heavily for the fight on January 13th where Josh Anderson destroyed Alex Killorn. The fight was fantastic and Anderson did ensure Killorn remembered the rookie. But, I’m writing the article so tie goes to the author.

The award for best fight goes to both Anderson and Matt Calvert who both dropped the gloves in a big way against the Minnesota Wild on New Years Eve. The hype leading up to the game, the dual fights and eventual big win in Minnesota all make this fight the years best.

Both the Wild and Jackets were riding unprecedented win streaks coming into the New Years bought. The Jackets had won 14 straight and the Wild had won 12 straight. The two darlings of the NHL year met in what many dubbed the “Unsustainabowl“.

The Jackets were up 1-0 early in the second period. Both teams were playing well but the game was still entirely up in the air. That was until Josh Anderson decided to take on Christ Stewart. Stewart, a known antagonist, had been laying some big, late hits on the Jackets. He had been looking to get under the teams skin, and he did.

Tale of the Tape:

Chris Stewart: Height 6’2″ Weight 239 lbs Experience GP 578 PIM 687

Josh Anderson: Height 6’3″ Weight 221 lbs Experience GP 77 PIM 66

The two dropped the gloves after another late check by Stewart on Seth Jones. Stewart and Anderson traded massive hay-makers that landed well. The two traded fist until Anderson landed a massive right that knocked Stewart to the ice, dragging Anderson down with him. Anderson fired up the Columbus Bench and the players on ice.

Matt Calvert clearly enjoyed it as you can see his smile around the 32 second mark of the video. His smiled turned into some chirping that turned into Matt Dumba going after Calvert. Dumba got the best of Calvert until the end when Calvert put Dumba to the ice and punished Dumba.

The biggest win was that both players were tossed from the remainder of the game. Dumba, Minnesota’s third best defenseman, was ejected leaving Minnesota to play with only five men on the blue line. The match up problems that ensued were part of the reason why the Jackets went on to win 4-2.

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