Adam Edstrom sure looked like he had fought before. But the towering New York Rangers forward claims he had never dropped the gloves before he tangled with Utah forward Jack McBain on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Edstrom handled himself quite well when he and McBain got into it in front of the Utah net 9:23 into the second period of New York’s 6-5 overtime loss to Utah. The 6-foot-7 forward landed some huge roundhouse rights, and didn’t appear to absorb any punches, before the pair tumbled to the ice.
Edstrom received a game misconduct since his fight started after Sam Carrick had already dropped the gloves with Michael Kesselring.
The 24-year-old told reporters after practice Sunday that was his first fight at any level of hockey.
When asked where he learned to fight so well, he pointed at linemate Matt Rempe sitting to his left in the locker room and said, “I’ve talked to this guy.”
Rempe, of course, knows a thing or two about fighting. He took on several NHL heavyweights in his 17 games last season, including Matt Martin on his first NHL shift against the New York Islanders at the NHL Stadium Series.
But Saturday it was Edstrom’s turn, and he made an impression on everyone, including Rangers coach Peter Laviolette.
“I thought he did a good job in the fight,” Laviolette explained. “Obviously, he’s a big guy … he’s heavy, he’s strong, he’s really fit. He jumped in, it was a scuffle, he got into one and I thought he did a good job.”
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Adam Edstrom ‘adding layers’ to his game for Rangers
Now don’t expect Edstrom to turn into an enforcer. The Swede brings a lot to the table already, including strong skating for a player his size, a scoring touch and tenacity on the forecheck. He had an excellent training camp, scoring three goals and finishing with four points in the preseason after scoring two goals in 11 NHL games last season.
Edstrom is noticeably more physical this season, the fight aside. But that fight now adds another tool to his toolbox as a player.
“Any time you start adding layers to your game, you’re adding pieces that can help the team, that’s a good thing,” Laviolette said.
Edstrom will be back in the lineup again Monday when the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings. He should get an extended run on the fourth line what with Jimmy Vesey on LTIR with a lower-body injury, meaning the veteran forward must miss at least the first 10 games this season.
