The Allen Americans and Texas Brahmas are bitter state rivals in the Central Hockey League.
We know this because the mayors in their respective Texas cities made a wager on their first-round playoff series. We also know this thanks to what Ryan Hand of the Brahmas and Brett Clouthier did at the start of Game 4 on Friday night.
How do you earn unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalties at 0:00 of the first period? By attempting to fight during the ceremonial puck drop before the game. We've seen a lot of hockey; this is a new one.
Well, if you're going to have a playoff hockey fight, why not have it on the spiffy ceremonial carpet, right?
While the rest of the players were lining up for the opening faceoff or on their bench at the NYTEX Sports Centre, Clouthier and Hand were in the penalty box.
These two players have some history, having fought in late March and three times before that. Since their pregame tussle wasn't sufficient, they also fought again in Game 4 — five seconds after they left the penalty box in the first period.
The Brahmas can close out the Americans in Game 6 on Tuesday night.