After failing to hook on with an NHL team, veteran defenseman and former Buffalo Sabres captain Craig Rivet surprised many of us by dropping down a few levels and signing with Elmira Jackels of the ECHL.
They said when he signed that despite his extensive NHL experience, he'd be just one of the boys; to that end, Rivet dropped the gloves for the first time in the ECHL in Wednesday night's win over the Gwinnett Gladiators:
Hey, the old guy's still got spunk. Although he may want to work on his dismount.
Jackals defenseman Craig Rivet, a longtime NHL player in his 18th pro season, got into a fight with Gwinnett forward Ryley Grantham five minutes into the second period. Rivet connected with some lefts before Grantham, a 6-foot-3, 207-pounder, pulled him to the ice.
Granthan picked up his second fighting major later in the period when he and Elmira's 6-8, 243-pound forward Jordan Lane squared off. That encounter involved more grabbing than punching.
In case you were wondering, Craig Rivet was 13 years old when Ryley Grantham was born.