Upon his arrival in the NHL, Arber Xhekaj sent a message to the rest of the players in the league.
You want to fight me? Alright… But you need to know that I can defend myself too.
The Canadiens’ defender is now seen as one of the good fighters in the NHL, and his reputation is well-established.
Xhekaj is a tough guy, and the other tough men in the league can recognize that.
Among them? Mathieu Olivier… Who showed him some love during his stint on the Cam & Strick podcast.
“He’s a tough kid,” said the Blue Jackets player when discussing the Canadiens player:
Xhekaj one of the toughest in the league according to Mathieu Olivier. https://t.co/js5jOZAqAx
— Jeremy Filosa
(@JeremyFilosa) February 12, 2025
In Mathieu Olivier’s eyes, Arber Xhekaj is among the best tough guys in the NHL.
And coming from the Blue Jackets player, that’s quite significant because he’s not afraid of anything either.
Let’s remember that the two guys have already fought together:
Arber Xhekaj and Mathieu Olivier dropped the
at the end of the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/Kvpm1ixYrT
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 18, 2022
Arber Xhekaj is the real deal! What courage to drop against Mathieu Olivier. #gohabsgo #fanview #hockeyfight pic.twitter.com/A0bUMuuEAl
— JT (@jeantrudel83) November 17, 2024
It’s cool to see that the guys respect each other this way.
That said, it has to be admitted that it would be special to see Mathieu Olivier and Arber Xhekaj on the same team in Montreal… Even if the latest news suggests that the chances of that happening seem pretty slim.
Everything indicates that the Blue Jackets will do everything in their power to keep their forward in Columbus because he helps the team in his own way and because he is a really beloved player there, both in the locker room and outside of it.
The fans of the club appreciate him a lot too.
– A return to BU for Lane Hutson.
Welcome back, Laner!
Great to have you back on the ice with us!
@mattwoolverton pic.twitter.com/XWLyOIj7Gp
— BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) February 12, 2025
– They have what it takes to cause an upset.
No pressure, no problem! @DaveJdeM https://t.co/NEjZAMfgTq
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) February 12, 2025
– Wow!
Don’t see these kinds of stat lines too often in the modern minor leagues. pic.twitter.com/YQfNrMKzGu
— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) February 12, 2025
– Poor guy.
Incredible. https://t.co/jj8mBnvNhV
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) February 12, 2025
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