Kevin Bieksa Goes Gordie Howe in Canucks Win

Kevin Bieksa's Gordie Howe Hat Trick (GHHT) helped the Canucks power past the Sharks 7-3, giving the Canucks a 2-0 lead in the series.

Bieksa's fight opponent was an unlikely Patrick Marleau, who hasn't fought since January of 2007.

Bieksa and Marleau exchanged crosschecks near the boards in the Sharks zone and as the puck was in the corner the two dropped the gloves after Marleau issued the invite.  Bieksa easily, and expectedly, handled Marleau, but it's not the type of fight Marleau has to win.

Asked how the fight happened, Bieksa said, “I don't know what started it.  Just two guys battling.  Turned out to be a good battle.  He did a good job.  After that, he skated to the box.  It was fine.”

Bieksa said he wasn't going to comment on Ben Eager calling him a phoney for fighting Marleau.

When asked if he was surprised Marleau dropped the gloves, Bieksa commented, “Well, maybe a little bit at first.  But he's a big boy.  I thought he did a good job.  For a guy that has been criticized in the media often, most recently, I thought he did a good job of battling, sticking up for himself.”

“Like I said, it was just two guys battling.  It's good for the game.  We're happy with the way the outcome was.”