Post-whistle scrums are common in the NHL. What’s not common is seeing a superstar goalkeeper join the fight after the whistle.
During the New York Rangers’ 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday in New York, star goaltender Igor Shesterkin charged into the middle of the contest and was ready to strike.
The Rangers were leading 3-0 with 12:51 left in the third period against the Senators when things got crazy at Madison Square Garden.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers leaves the field to confront Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Madison Square Garden on January 21, 2025, in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk went after a loose puck around the neck and collided with Rangers star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, sending the goaltender into his own net.
All five Rangers players on the ice immediately came to their goalie’s defense as they swarmed Tkachuk.
Then the rest of the Senators players on the ice came to their captain’s defense, and eventually the Rangers and Senators skaters faced off in a shoving match.
As all the chaos unfolded, Shesterkin leaned into the crease, gathering himself.
Then suddenly, as the chaos began to calm down, Shesterkin stood up and charged straight into the fray and attacked Tkachuk.
Tkachuk saw Shesterkin coming and hit the goalie’s helmet, knocking Shesterkin down, while Shesterkin threw a blocker toward Tkachuk.
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Then Tkachuk, whose right arm was held by Rangers forward Matt Rempe, shoved Shesterkin before the referees intervened and removed Shesterkin from the fray.
With Shesterkin out, Rempe, who is known for fighting during his short time in the NHL, went after Tkachuk.
But a referee stepped between the two, stopping them from fighting, despite Rempe and Tkachuk throwing punches around the referee.
Once order was restored on the ice, the referees met and awarded numerous penalties.
Shesterkin was penalized two minutes for leaving goalie territory. Rempe received a double minor penalty for brutality.
Tkachuk was also assessed a double minor penalty for roughing, as well as goaltender interference.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers challenges Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators after a collision near the net. (Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Senators center Shane Pinto also received a minor penalty for roughing Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers found themselves on the power play after all the penalties, and Artemi Panarin took advantage to make the score 4-0.
Alexis Lafrenière, Arthur Kaliyev, Rempe, Panarin and Will Cuylle all scored in the Rangers’ victory.
The Rangers are 7-1-3 in their last 11 games and are back in the wild-card race after a terrible stretch in which they won just four of 19 games in December.
Igor Shesterkin faces Brady Tkachuk. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
For Shesterkin, it was a second straight game with a shutout, saving all 20 of the Senators’ shots on goal.
The Rangers hope to continue their winning streak when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Senators next face the Boston Bruins on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
