Sacha Boisvert dropped the gloves Thursday night in St. Louis, and the Chicago Blackhawks still skated off on the wrong end of a 1-0 score.
The tilt never made the broadcast. It happened during a commercial break, so the people watching at home missed the one moment of the night with real heat.
Fans online caught up fast. The clip posted by BlackhawksFocus had already piled up 40.3K views before most of Chicago went to bed.
Think of it as a home run during a rain delay. Everybody in the building saw it, the box score didn't care, and TV viewers got a car commercial instead.
And the box score was the real problem. Chicago never found the back of the net against the Blues, which is not the note any camp wants to end a night on.
In the 25-second clip, gloves lie scattered on the ice near the crease while No. 90 stands square along the boards, locked in with a Blues player wearing No. 6.
Jeff Blashill will notice. A coach running a camp wants to see who pushes back when a game turns ugly, and the Chicago prospect answered that without being asked.
Blackhawks and Blues meet again Saturday with bad blood
Nobody has to wait long for a sequel. The two teams meet again Saturday night in Chicago, and the Blues now own the latest word.
The form lines look nearly identical. Chicago sits at 1-1-1 over its recent games, while St. Louis improved to 1-2-0 with the shutout.
Neither number means much once the real standings kick in. But a scrap like Thursday's tends to carry over, because players remember who answered the bell and who stood watching.
Jim Montgomery's group will come ready for that. Expect the Blues to test whether No. 90 wants a second round or whether the first one was a one-night statement.
Here's the problem, though. A prospect trying to win a job gets judged on what he does with the puck, and hands spent on a scrap aren't hands spent on the scoresheet.
It's a bad trade for Chicago if it becomes a habit. Kyle Davidson's roster already carries a $15,000,000 cap hit for Connor Bedard, and nobody upstairs is shopping for a sheriff.
Still, nobody can coach willingness. Would you rather have a kid who stands up in September, or one who skates away and hopes the camera missed it?
The regular season opens Sept. 29 in Las Vegas, and the Blues visit Chicago again Oct. 6. Whatever started Thursday probably won't stay in September.
