Matthew and Brady Tkachuk calls for more classic goalie fights in NHL on their Wingmen podcast

Matthew and Brady Tkachuk talked about goalie fights on their Wingmen podcast. They recently launched the podcast, and the first episode was released on Thursday, November 13. They are the first active NHL players to host their own podcast. Both brothers are currently on injured reserve, giving them time to execute this idea.

Speaking during a segment of the podcast posted on X, Matthew, who recently won the Stanley Cup twice with the Florida Panthers, said goalie fights should happen more often in the NHL.

"I think goalie fights need to happen more often," Matthew said.

Brady, who plays for the Ottawa Senators, agreed and said fans enjoy seeing goalies get involved.

"100%," Brady said. "It's about growing the game. People wanna see goalie fights."

Matthew mentioned the near-fight between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington in March 2023. He said he wished the officials had allowed it to continue.

"The year when, like, Fleury and Binnington were gonna fight, like, oh my God, I just wanted to see that so bad." Matthew said.

The brothers also said goalie fights could help grow the game. Matthew joked that people might buy more tickets if goalie fights happened more. Brady said he would skate into every scrum if he were a goalie. Matthew said he would do the same.

"If there's a partial scrum and he's kind of involved, like, my toes are at the red line," Matthew said.

"Every scrum, I'm coming down." Brady added.

Goalie fights are rare today because of league rules. A goalie who leaves the crease to fight gets extra penalties. Officials also try to stop goalie fights before they begin. These rules focus on safety and keeping fights under control. As a result, goalie fights have declined in recent years.

History of Top NHL goalie fights and recent incidents

Some past goalie fights are still well known. Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon fought in 1997 during a major brawl. Ron Hextall and Felix Potvin fought in 1996. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith had the last official goalie fight in 2020. Brent Johnson and Rick DiPietro also fought in 2011, leading to safety concerns.

There have been a few recent attempts at goalie fights. Linus Ullmark and Charlie Lindgren came close in 2025. John Gibson and Petr Mrazek almost fought in 2024. Jeremy Swayman and Darcy Kuemper also had a brief moment. All of these were stopped by officials.

So, the Tkachuk brothers picked up a fan topic that often gets discussed. They believe goalie fights bring extra excitement. However, current NHL rules make them unlikely to return now.