How many times have you seen fights in hockey? Countless, right? It’s part of the game, and no one can deny that it makes things more exciting—but only when the fights happen on the ice. However, that wasn’t the case in the Ontario Hockey League’s latest game. During a heated matchup between the Erie Otters and the Peterborough Petes, tensions boiled over in an unexpected way.

In the second period, with the Otters leading by three goals, all eyes should have been on the ice. Instead, the real spectacle unfolded on the benches. Shockingly, the head coaches of both teams got into a fight right on the sidelines. Even the public announcer couldn’t believe what was happening, exclaiming, “I have never seen such a thing in my life.”

The heated exchange was between Erie Otters coach Kris Mallette and Peterborough Petes coach Rob Wilson. But how did things escalate? It all started with a brawl on the ice between Erie Otters’ Alex Messier and Francis Parish of the Peterborough Petes. As the fight between players unfolded, tensions spilled over to the benches, where verbal exchanges between the coaches quickly turned into a physical altercation.

Now, let’s talk consequences. In the OHL, coach fights don’t go unnoticed. Fines, game suspensions, and even bans from the bench for several matches are all possible penalties. But let’s get back to the bigger picture—what’s next for the Petes?

Do the Peterborough Petes have another shot at redemption against the Erie Otters in the regular season? Nope! That ship has sailed. Even if these two teams were to meet in the postseason, it would have been a must-watch showdown. But hold on… that’s not happening either. The Peterborough Petes sit at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, while the Otters hold a comfortable 5th place in the Western Conference.

In other words, Peterborough’s playoff hopes are practically nonexistent, leaving them with nothing but frustration while Erie marches on. The Petes have been reduced to nothing more than a woodpecker—one that’s lost its beak. Any fight left in them has been drained. No way to strike back remains. And no OHL championship is in sight to prove anyone wrong. But, as we saw in this unprecedented fight between the Peterborough Petes and Erie Otters, one thing is clear—the OHL is starting to resemble the NHL in more ways than one.

OHL coaches fights? Nothing different than the NHL! 

The level of drama in the Petes vs. Otters game proves one thing: the OHL is not much different from the National Hockey League. Fights and brawls have always been a part of hockey, but when coaches start throwing punches, it raises eyebrows. And let’s not forget—this isn’t exclusive to the OHL. The NHL has seen its fair share of coach altercations too.

This latest incident in the OHL brings to mind a heated clash between the Boston Bruins and the Winnipeg Jets just two months ago. On December 11, 2024, during a game between the Jets and Bruins, three separate fights broke out between players. The chaos escalated further when Jets coach Scott Arniel started yelling at Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco, who had just stepped in for Jim Montgomery.

There’s an eerie similarity between that incident and the Petes-Otters fight. Mallette, much like Sacco, had only recently taken charge of his team, adding another layer of tension to the altercation. And this isn’t the first time an NHL coach has been involved in a fight. Take the infamous clash between Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Burns and Los Angeles Kings coach Barry Melrose—another example of how tempers explode behind the bench. While neither coach faced fines for their skirmish, the incident left a lasting impact on their reputations, the sanctity of the game, and a bad example of permissible behavior of coaches moving forward.

So, the point of saying all this is that not just the NHL but other regional leagues in America and Canada are changing. And yesterday’s fight between the Peterborough Petes and the Erie Otters was just an example of it.