Ryan Reaves Breaks Silence After Arber Xhekaj Rejects Fight and Points to Scoreboard
Ryan Reaves couldn't get Arber Xhekaj to fight him and was on the end of some brazen mockery, but now he's opened up after getting the last laugh.
The headlines were ablaze on Sunday after the Toronto Maple Leafs dispatched of the Montreal Canadiens after putting on a stunning seven-goal flurry that not only caused fans to wonder where this type of performance has been all season, but for how one Habs player may have indirectly caused it.
When Arber Xhekaj refused to fight Ryan Reaves in the first period, he instead decided to point to the scoreboard to mock the enforcer and his team, but it just made them furious. Seven unanswered goals later including two power play and two shorthanded, Xhekaj skated off with his tail between his legs.
Reaves got the last laugh and decided to chime in with his thoughts on the whole situation:
Arber Xhekaj's Unwritten Rule Breaker Disappoints Ryan Reaves
Tough luck indeed for Xhekaj, and there wasn't too much he could do to weather the storm that was the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Motivated by captain Auston Matthews after the first period, the team stormed out to completely dismantle the Canadiens.
But Reaves, being the veteran he is, also tried to offer some advice to Xhekaj for the next time things get a bit tense:
Enforcers are a rare breed nowadays in the modern NHL, and both men understand the sanctity of fighting and what's expected of each other. If Xhekaj were down 3-0 and irked Reaves, there's a mutual respect and understanding that it's not personal, just business.
Reaves hasn't had a fight this year but with Xhekaj's actions and Matt Rempe also refusing an invite, it's not for a lack of trying. They don't want to risk losing and the momentum turning, but it shows how the NHL has shifted its mentality as even designated enforcers are passing up fights.
The landscape of the NHL has shifted dramatically over the past two decades, and for players like Ryan Reaves, their job is becoming much more harder to do.
