Jake Middleton, Zack McEwen treat Swedish crowd to a hockey fight

The Wild and Senators enforcers dropped the glove in the first period on Saturday morning.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton and Ottawa Senators forward Zack McEwen gave the fans a show by fighting in the first period of their NHL Global Series game in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday morning.

The fight occurred with 5:39 in the opening period when McEwen approached Middleton during a stoppage in play. Middleton obliged as both players threw hands before officials came in to break it up.

Fighting is common in the NHL but is rare in Swedish leagues as it is classified as a game misconduct penalty. After five minutes in the box, both players returned to the ice and continued business as usual.

The Wild lead the Senators 1-0 on Marco Rossi's goal in the second period.