Blues' Patrick Maroon fights largest man in NHL history... willingly

Have you ever been in a fight with an adult grizzly bear? It’s likely safe to say that few have. I don’t have experience myself, but I’d imagine that it isn’t an ideal situation to be in.

Patrick Maroon of the St. Louis Blues hasn’t either. (Trust me, I googled ‘Patrick Maroon fights grizzly bear’ just to be safe.) Yet, he got about as close as a human can get when he dropped the mitts with Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

With the game scoreless, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Maroon and the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Chara decided to ice dance with their fists flailing for all to see. The bout consisted of a lot of grappling and only a few punches thrown, which was probably the best case scenario for Maroon.

Why? Because one does not fight Zdeno Chara, they merely survive.

Just ask David Koci, a former enforcer for the Chicago Blackhawks, who barely escaped with his life back in 2007.

In all honesty, Thursday’s fight was about as exciting as the last time Chara and Maroon, who was playing for the Edmonton Oilers at the time, tossed hands just over two years ago.

The most recent tussle was Chara’s first of the year. The 41-year-old now has 63 fights in his 21 NHL seasons, according to hockeyfights.com.

Maroon’s third major of the year gives him 48 for his career.

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