NHL Action Returns on Boxing Day

There were a half dozen fights in 11 games in the NHL on the day after Christmas.

Heavyweights Eric Godard and Matt Carkner were the first duo to drop the gloves after the break. Carkner handled Godard well in the first bout ever between the two.

In a fifth meet-up, Paul Bissonnette won one from Krys Barch.  These two last met on Feb 13, 2010 and fought twice.

From the unexpected department: Ilya Kovalchuk took on Dion Phaneuf.  The fight was mostly wrestling, but it was Kovalchuk's second fight of the season. Kovalchuk has 8 goals on the season, one more than Shawn Thornton.

Rounding up the night: Derek Dorsett had a fairly even scrap with Jake Dowell in Chicago.  There were a pair of fights in LA, with one including George Parros, who leads the league with 13 fighting majors.