BOSTON — Anytime the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Boston Bruins it promises to be an intense night on the ice and Thursday's game at TD Garden was no different.
In the middle of one of the player scrums on the Maple Leafs' end of the ice, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman made his way over to the neutral zone, seemingly challenging Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll to a fight.
The Boston crowd erupted as Swayman motioned over to the Toronto side of the ice but Woll stayed in his crease.
Did Swayman officially challenge Woll?
Whatever it was, the Leafs goaltender wasn't interested.
"I’m not sure. My focus is on trying to win the hockey game, I’m trying to do everything I can to help my team win," Woll said after his team's 4-1 loss on Thursday.
Swayman told reporters in Boston what he was thinking.
"[I] probably didn’t call for it. I see all my guys go in, it’s a team effort, we all go in," Swayman said. "He [Woll] is my buddy and I respect the hell out of him and his game. It was just an opportunity but nothing happened."
If Woll had engaged and crossed the red line, he would have been ejected from the game. It's a rule that has been put in place to prevent goaltenders from fighting. Swayman is aware of this. If he wanted to fight he should have gone to Toronto's end and risked the ejection. But that did not happen.
It's not the first time the Bruins goaltender has attempted to start a fight.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeau denied Swayman's call for a fight earlier this season.
"I’ll never force something like that but if it happens it happens. It’s hockey and that’s it."
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