The lead-up to the game itself was nothing short of wild for the final meeting between the two teams that year.<\/p>\n
Edmonton hosted the Flames in Game 1 of four that season on Dec. 27, 2019<\/a>, with Calgary winning 5-1 in a tame, six-penalty-minute affair. But in the second game, held on Jan. 11, 2020<\/a>, in Calgary, things heated up in a big way.<\/p>\n Early in the game, Tkachuk caught Kassian coming around the backside of the Flames\u2019 net attempting a wraparound, only for the then-Flames forward to lay a punishing hit. Kassian spun around in the air, landing face-first on the ice, but there wasn\u2019t much of a reaction.<\/p>\n Late in the second period, Tkachuk set his sights on the Oilers winger once again, drilling him hard into the boards from behind. This time, Kassian wasn\u2019t going to let it stand, popping up, ragdolling Tkachuk around as the latter turtled. Things cooled from that point on in the game, and Kassian wound up with a two-game suspension.<\/a>Game 3 on Jan. 29, 2020<\/a>, got hot and heavy quickly, but not how everyone expected it to. While many hoped Kassian and Tkachuk would get things underway, it was actually a rare Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fight<\/a> that sparked things. With just under four minutes left in the first period, the two players were skating toward their respective benches, when Monahan took a swing at Nugent-Hopkins, who retaliated with a slash of his own. It took a moment for both players to get their grip, including a brief moment where they disengaged, but when they latched back on, Nuge started chuckin\u2019 \u2019em, eventually hauling Monahan to the ice.<\/p>\n Twenty-four seconds later, the main card: Tkachuk and Kassian. Right off a draw in the Flames\u2019 zone, they dropped the gloves, with Kassian getting the better of Tkachuk. Things stayed testy, but there weren\u2019t any more scraps that night.<\/p>\n Some had thought cooler heads would prevail between the two sides, but the BoA reached a fever pitch not seen since the \u201980s.<\/p>\n The undercard of the Feb. 1, 2020 game saw Oilers centre Jujhar Khaira drop the gloves with Flames forward Buddy Robinson behind the play and, after a whistle, with \u201cThe Hammer\u201d getting the best of his Calgary counterpart.<\/p>\n With seconds counting down at the end of the second period with Edmonton up 6-3, Oilers forward Sam Gagner dove for a loose puck, jamming away at Flames goaltender Cam Talbot. Talbot, who years prior donned the Oilers\u2019 blue and orange, took exception, feeding Gagner blocker punches, kicking off a line brawl<\/a>.<\/p>\n The dogpile began, and as players broke away, Talbot mauled Oilers forward Alex Chiasson along the glass, and Mike Giordano jumped on Gagner. Also breaking away from the pile were Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear and Tkachuk, as they went toe-to-toe, with Bear getting the best.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Smith skated out of the Oilers\u2019 crease to centre ice, leaning on his stick waiting to see what became of the mess. Despite not being captured on the broadcast, Oilers blueliner Darnell Nurse pointed Talbot to centre ice, setting in motion an iconic moment.<\/p>\n Talbot met Smith at centre ice with the two dropping their gloves and helmets, as Smith fed Talbot with punch after punch, and onto the ice.<\/p>\n You can see the full game between the Oilers and Flames below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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