Kurtis Gabriel says fight against Kyle Clifford was all about Binnington and 'disrespect'

The San Jose Sharks beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 Monday night, but a fight early in the third is getting a lot of attention. Less than three minutes into the game, San Jose's Kurtis Gabriel dropped the gloves with the Blues' Kyle Clifford for a very spirited bout with some haymakers thrown by both. You can check that out below.

Following the game, someone commented on Twitter that they weren't a Sharks fan but loved the energy that Gabriel brought to games, adding he embodied the "bigger than hockey" mentality. This was something that caught the player's attention and he thanked the Twitter user for their comments. However, another user commented that "staged fights" are disappointing, and Gabriel decided to respond to that.

"This was him having to fight me because of their goalie's antics last game," said Gabriel. "Nobody will disrespect this team when I am around and not have to pay up for it."

About a week ago, Jordan Binnington of the Blues was pulled during a game against the San Jose Sharks. Binnington was not happy, and decided to take swings at a few Sharks while making his way off the ice, including skating all the way to the other end to deliver a shove to San Jose goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Binnington did not play Monday night but Blues coach Craig Berube insisted that had nothing to do with what happened in their previous game against San Jose.

Thank you sir 👊🏻 https://t.co/aI3pZ0Vs5W— Kurtis Gabriel (@kurtisgabriel) March 8, 2021

This was him having to fight me because of their goalies antics last game. Nobody will disrespect this team when I am around and not have to pay up for it.— Kurtis Gabriel (@kurtisgabriel) March 9, 2021

Jordan Binnington fights everyone after being pulled, a breakdown pic.twitter.com/ceg6u1SvyY— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) March 1, 2021

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