Arber Xhekaj Made a Subtle and Unexpected Gesture During His Fight With Keaton Middleton
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
As you know, young Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj helped spark his team on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
While the Habs were going nowhere and trailing against the Colorado Avalanche, the Sheriff dropped the gloves with Keaton Middleton, and the result was crystal clear.
He got the better of Middleton, who is also a big, tough player, and it really seemed to fire up his teammates.
That said, as noted by the page HabsOnReddit, a small and subtle move by Xhekaj seems to have completely caught Middleton off guard in the middle of Saturday night's fight.
Arber Xhekaj has a unique edge: he's a threat with both hands
It was indeed something Middleton didn't expect at all, and it seems to have completely changed the momentum of the fight (when Xhekaj started using his left hand as well).
It's very unusual.
"One thing that makes Arber Xhekaj such a good fighter is he can also throw punches with his left hand. It caught Keaton Middleton by surprise. Once the helmet was off, he was cooked.
Arber fed him knuckle sandwiches, two for the price of one"
- HabsOnReddit
Arber fed him knuckle sandwiches, two for the price of one"
- HabsOnReddit
I had already noticed this extra trait in Xhekaj, his 'ambidextrous' ability, but I didn't realize how rare it was among NHL fighters.
It makes him an even more dangerous enforcer for opposing teams.
I loved seeing him step up to defend Josh Anderson!
And it's definitely no coincidence that Xhekaj lost his cool and snapped, as he later explained himself in a press conference what was said before the fight.
Middleton even admitted after the fight that he got worked by the Sherrif:
"I kinda got worked in the fight, but I'll do that for any of you guys."
He was honest at least!
| POLL | ||
MARS 24 | 2101 ANSWERS Arber Xhekaj Made a Subtle and Unexpected Gesture During His Fight With Keaton Middleton Who is the best enforcer in the NHL, in your opinion? | ||
| Mathieu Olivier | 512 | 24.4 % |
| Arber Xhekaj | 1492 | 71 % |
| Kurtis MacDermid | 36 | 1.7 % |
| Ryan Reaves or other | 61 | 2.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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