Sharks, Panthers Have NHL's First Goalie Fight in Six Years

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky have given hockey fans a moment they will never forget. With 14 minutes left to play during their game last night, two netminders dropped the gloves with one another in a rare fight.

After Nedeljkovic took involvement in a scrum in the corner,' Bobrovsky beelined to even things up. The pair quickly dropped the gloves, with plenty of stick taps resounding throughout Amerant bank Arena from both sides. San Jose ended up winning the matchup, 4-1.

Here's something you don't see every day... a goalie fight! pic.twitter.com/lcvGN9kPxB
— NHL (@NHL) January 20, 2026

In the sport of hockey, while physicality is quite common, goalie fights are considered a rarity. This marked the first time in six years a coveted "goalie fight" occurred in the NHL. The last time a goalie fight in the league took place was on Feb. 1, 2020 — a big brawl erupted between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, with goaltenders Mike Smith and Cam Talbot also dropping the gloves.

Sharks' Alex Nedeljkovic, Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky Drop Gloves

The scrum and resulting goalie fight ensued when Florida forward Evan Rodrigues laid a hit out on Vincent Desharnais — who was playing his very first game back following injury — behind the Sharks’ net. Nedeljkovic then immediately skated over and shoved Rodrigues in defense, prompting Bobrovsky to skate from his net 200 feet down the ice, dropping his gloves in the process, for a fight with Nedeljkovic.

Bobrovsky and Nedeljkovic each were issued a five-minute major penalty for fighting and an additional two-minute penalty for leaving the crease to take part in an altercation. Both netminders stayed in the game and played for the entirety of the matchup.

AHL goalie Ryan Fanti previously confirmed to Breakaway On SI in an exclusive that it is only natural to want to participate in at least one goalie fight throughout a netminder's career.

“I always wanted to get in a fight as a goalie,” Fanti — who has also scored a "goalie goal" said. “I feel like that was kind of just a bucket list thing, and I feel like it is for a lot of guys. It's by no means something that I want to do every night or every year … but it kind of was one of those holy crap moments where it was like, ‘oh my god, this is happening.’ I was just happy I kept all my teeth and it went kind of in my favor.”

Nedeljkovic also has a goal listed on his statsheet; he became the 16th goalie in NHL history to be credited with a goal back in his 2024-25 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was traded to the Sharks by Pittsburgh for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft in July 2025.

Jan 16, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) comes off the ice after the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Florida's Bobrovsky was signed by the Panthers as a free agent in July 2019. Bobrovsky has a 2.60 goals against average (GAA) alongside 52 career shutouts. Nedeljkovic, 30, has a 2.99 GAA across 201 games played across his career so far.

Nedeljkovic is now the second goalie in San Jose history to be assessed a fighting major.

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