Nashville Defenseman Nic Hague on The Anatomy of a Fight

Nashville's biggest defenseman dropped the gloves with the San Jose Sharks to fire up his Predators teammates.

Jan 10, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Nicolas Hague (41) skates behind the net against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators battled all 60 minutes and then some as Steven Stamkos scored in the final second to force overtime against the San Jose Sharks. The Predators fell into a third period two-goal deficit, but never quit and salvaged a point in the 3-2 shootout loss.

Nashville head coach Andrew Brunette said defenseman Nick Hague had his best game of the season, getting active and making his presence known on both ends of the ice. Hague set the tone early, dropping the gloves and getting the better of San Jose's Zack Ostapchuk in the first three minutes.

"That was unbelievable," Nick Perbix said on Friday. "I mean, it got us going. It was a long one. Looked like they were both gassed. He was just getting fired up too. I mean, he yeah definitely got the boys going. We love to see it."

Hague and Ostapchuk locked up and struggled as they each battled for positioning, but once the Nashville defender got loose he took control, delivering right hands to Ostapchuk's head from all angles.

Nic Hague gets into Nashville's first fight of the season against Zack Ostapchuk at 2:51 in the first period. Good scrap. #Preds #TurnItAllTeal pic.twitter.com/XnYmN08V3c

— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) October 16, 2026

"That was awesome. That was a long one. It was a marathon, you know," Jayden Struble said. "He definitely was locked up a bit there, and then once he got free, he landed a couple of big ones. So it was awesome to see."

For Hague, the fight wasn't about animosity or retaliation for anything Ostapchuk did, but instead about energizing his teammates and the crowd and getting himself out of his head and into the action.

"There's no written rules," Hague said on Friday. "Sure, it's a fight. I'd say there's probably a lot of unwritten rules. I think a fight could happen for multiple different reasons. The one you probably see most often is sticking up for teammates, or it's kind of a way where, in hockey, we can police the game ourselves a little bit. If you think somebody took a liberty on one of your teammates, but that wasn't the case last night.

"Last night was just, I felt like it would be good for our group, kind of bring a little bit of energy and get the building going a little bit, right? It's as simple as that. So that was kind of my reasoning behind it. A little bit too, to kind of get my own game going a little bit. You know, maybe turn the brain off and just relax a little bit, and kind of a way to pull myself into it a little bit. As far as how it started, it was as simple as a question, and it was just kind of, I don't know, a little bit of a code, I guess. I mean, He's a guy who's done it before, so I knew he'd probably be willing, and yeah, I just asked him, and he accepted. I thought it was good. There's no animosity. We gave each other a tap afterward. You know, good job, and we move on with the night. We're going on with the game."

Bridgestone Arena erupted as the pair tangled up, and both teams tapped their sticks on the boards to appreciate their teammates' efforts. Hague had a strong individual game, and Nashville played with a never-say-die attitude that kept the Predators in the game for all 60 minutes and forced overtime. For Hague, that's a mission accomplished as Nashville looks to find early-season momentum.

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