Fighting has been part of hockey culture for years. Here's what Garnet Hathaway, Beck Malenstyn and the Capitals had to say about the game within the game.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Garnet Hathaway's seen his share of fights.

They've busted open his knuckles. They've knocked off his helmet. They've led to a lot of blood being shed and battle scars over time.

When asked about dropping the gloves, the former Washington Capitals winger struggles to fully define one of the staples of hockey culture in one sentence.

"It's harder to describe than just a simple question and answer," Garnet Hathaway admits, thinking hard about the concept. “The main thing is there’s different times to fight, there’s different reasons to fight. Some could be momentum, some could be protecting a teammate, some could be protecting yourself. You know, a lot of a few of those have to line up in order for it to make sense.

"You notice the scoreboard has an impact in that. Who scored last has an impact, who was on the ice, has an impact. How long the shift you just had, and the period’s an impact. There’s a lot of things that go into it.”

Hathaway's one of many players who has become famous for -- and around the league, notorious for -- his rough-and-tumble style and grit.

And while those fights have done their damage over the years, Hathaway says they still serve a purpose and are part of the game's unwritten code.

Of course, the role of the enforcer is fading as the game is becoming younger, faster and more skill-oriented rather than being filled with fisticuffs. That doesn't mean that the tough guy no longer plays a role, and the league's still full of them: Hathaway, Ryan Reaves, Tom Wilson, Matthew Tkachuk, Radko Gudas -- the list goes on. And when the time comes, they're ready to answer the call.

It's not easy, though. Hathaway has an advantage; he's 6-foot-4 and is no stranger to the art. Still, there are do's and don'ts that come with the gig, and it comes down to strategy that's difficult to master.

One of those keys to fighting is knowing your enemy.

“You know guys that you need to protect yourself more, and you know guys that you may have an advantage over in a fight,” Hathaway said. “There’s different techniques whether you’re trying to make sure you attack or defend. It’s like any fight, any battle. There’s give and takes, too. It’s more about timing than anything.”

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A lot of fights happen in the heat of the moment, though, when emotion defies logic and the heart overrides the brain. That's when fights just happen when scrums just break out and players are left thinking about nothing but who they're squaring up against.

It happened in a May 5, 2021, tilt between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, as a line brawl automatically broke out at the whistle as a result of Wilson's actions from two nights before. Tensions were high, and Hathaway, Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin immediately just dropped 'em with whoever was on the opposite side.

Hathaway's opponent was Phillip di Giuseppe.

“You always need to be on top of your decisions. There’s a lot of emotions, there’s a lot of adrenaline that goes into these,” Hathaway said. “You’re hopefully in control. That’s probably the best way I can describe it. It’s knowing the time, the situation and knowing who you’re up against.”

That's not always the case, though, for other players. Beck Malenstyn, who had his first NHL fight against Brendan Lemieux after Lemieux grabbed him, spun him around and dropped him to the ice, said that he doesn't get lost in the heat of the moment. However, emotion still plays a part in it, as the hard-hitting 6-foot-3, 200-pounder's fights often stem from him answering the bell or sticking up for a teammate.

“I don’t really have that switch that flips,” Malenstyn explained. “I know when some guys, something goes and ready to go and the gloves are off and it’s go-time. For me, throughout my career... Those are kind of the two instances where I’m willing to stand up for myself if someone’s gonna challenge me and I’m willing to stand up for a teammate if something goes south that way. Those are kind of the two scenarios for me. I don’t really have that switch that I’m going out there and I’m going to find one. I’m completely willing if I have to."

Like Hathaway, Malenstyn will size up his opponents and said that's also a vital part of fighting, along with staying on your feet.

“You probably walk into situations that you consider to be more favorable than others,” he added. “If I’m standing there with a guy who’s 6-foot-5, I’m not going to expect to do too much to him. But then again, you can underestimate someone pretty easily, too. Some of those smaller guys can really take a punch and can really throw ’em.

“The biggest chance to win is not falling, I guess. If you’re losing, you get down there quickly… I think a lot of it’s just understanding where to grab, where to hold onto so he doesn’t have a free hand just swinging away at you."

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Former Hershey Bears heavyweight Kale Kessy has spent years establishing himself as one of the AHL's top fighters. He has 153 fights over the course of his career, from the WHL to the pros, and he's known to pack a punch when he has to. 

“Could be a big hit or a cheap shot or somebody going after your younger guy or more skilled guy, something like that. I’m always going to be the first to jump in and help out,” Kessy said.

He has had plenty of time and experience to get an advance and increase his odds of winning, and now, he'll focus on the fundamentals rather than just going all out and just throwing punches back and forth.

“I used to just love to go toe-to-toe and just trade punches with one another, but you find a lot of tough guys that can catch you in the chin every once in a while and stuff like that,” Kessy said. “I tried to taper it down and tried to be a little bit smarter and technical… it depends on the game and the moment.”

In addition to finding his style and finetuning his fighting skills, he agreed with Malenstyn that keeping your balance is vital in a bout while also stressing the importance of grabbing onto the opponent's jersey. That allows for more control and, in the end, an upper hand in the scrap.

“Definitely need the center of gravity. You see some fights and you spin around in circles and stuff like that. Some fights are quick because either you fall or the other guy falls,” Kessy explained. “It’s the heat of the moment. Everyone’s competing. Everyone's battling hard and everyone’s competitive. You want to get a good grip and good center of balance.

“[Grabbing the jersey] is huge. I think, if you got a good grip, you can kind of control and counter and stuff like that and stay away from their dominant throwing hand,” he added. “If they’re a righty and I’m a righty -- unless you’re going toe-to-toe --, you should be able to avoid huge blows… if you’re trying to regain your grip, you’re going to go off balance. I think getting a good center of gravity and good grip and hold that’s very key.”

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Fighters have their game day routine, too, including the taping of the wrists and emphasis on protection and recovery. Wilson is one player who tapes his wrists.

“[Taping the wrists] is more of a stability thing,” Kessy added. “I think guys like the habit because sometimes, you can jam your wrist and stuff like that if you’re hitting helmets or kind of your fist isn’t quite as tight… I know there’s a lot of guys and tough guys that do it, so it’s just a personal preference."

Fighting can take a big toll on the body, too, from damage to the hands to black eyes, concussions or even soreness. Safety is just as big a part of it as winning, and players take that seriously.

“You make sure those shoulders and things like that are well protected. It’s not an easy job out there sometimes, and you can overextend yourself and get pretty tired quickly if you’re throwing the body around too much,” Malenstyn, who loves to lay the body, noted.

Players also know that, in fights, the goal is to win but, ultimately, to make sure that no one is seriously or maliciously injured.

“It’s something that just kind of happens within a game and you can laugh it off after. You’re not really going to hurt each other. That’s what I’d say is probably the biggest thing with any fight," Malensetyn said. "There’s probably instances where there’s a little more animosity behind it. Two of you have been going at it for a while, and that’s just going to kind of settle the score."

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Ultimately, fighting has proven to be somewhat of a game within a game. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but there's always one constant: you make a statement.

“The biggest thing is to gain momentum for your team. And that can be different things. That can be when you’re down in the game and you’re trying to spark some life, which could come from a fight, could come from a hit, come from a great offensive possession shift,” Hathaway explained. “That’s where I’d say, ‘Hey, I don’t need to get a huge hit right now, but I can wear another team down, get an offensive zone face-off, keep a team on the ice, roll in a change.’ It’s part of that game.

“What goes into winning and losing, it’s kind of fluid… every fight and situation is different. You just have to read the game.”