Buffalo/Toronto line brawl brings old-time hockey back. And it's only preseason. (Corey Tropp, John Scott)

The photo at your left is not photoshopped.

It is an actual photo of the Sabres Ryan Miller and the Leaves Jonathan Bernier getting ready to square off in a preseason game in Toronto.

Miller had never been in an NHL fight (nor has Bernier.)

Although Miller lost the fight, he took all in stride and even took pride in going at it for the first time especially in Toronto, "I thought [Bernier] was just doing a little flair-for-the-crowd thing. Just kind of say, ‘Hey, Do you want to go?’ I wanted to just get my reps in. I’m not a fighter. I think Bernier even has me in weight,” Miller said.

“But you can’t pass up a fight in Toronto in Maple Leaf Gardens. Back off from that one and, you know, what kind of hockey player are you? So I figure might as well give it a shot. I thought I did OK. He got loose a little bit on me there but towards the end, kind of got back into it.

You gotta do what you gotta do. I thought it was actually kind of fun. Might as well have a fight on your resume in Maple Leaf Gardens.”

The bout was an addendum to the melee that ensued prior.

At 10:01 of the third period, the Sabres and Maple Leaves had themselves a good, old fashioned donnybrook with over 200 minutes in penalties, 11 misconducts, a 10-minute match penalty for the Leaves Phil Kessel, a 10-minute leaving the bench penalty for the Toronto's David Clarkson and three game misconducts.

Jonas Siegel of tsn.ca sets the scene:

"The story begins with a goal.

A third round selection of the Sabres in 2007, Corey Tropp had redirected an effort from the point by Jamie McBain, one that beat Jonathan Bernier and cut the Toronto lead to one midway through the third period. Lining up at centre ice seconds after his first marker of the preseason, Tropp takes a tug at the sweater of Jamie Devane, a player looming high above weight class. The pair exchange a series of awkward fisticuffs, capped by Tropp losing his bucket, his head landing square on the ice with an alarming thud.

Blood is chipped off the ice during the television timeout and order is seemingly restored. Lingering near the Toronto bench though at left wing for Buffalo is [John] Scott, he of 63 career fights, the 30-year-old with plans on redeeming his fallen teammate."

Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, who has the last change as the home team, sends out a scoring line featuring Kessel, Carter Ashton and Tyler Bozak.

The Sabres John Scott is at the bottom
of this pile with only the top of his head and
hands visible.

Kessel was next to Scott on the faceoff and according to Kessel, “[Scott] said he was going to jump me.”

Sure enough, Scott went after Kessel and Kessel did his best lumberjack impersonation swinging his stick wildly at Scott.

From there the fun began.

Ashton and former Sabre TJ Brennan as well as a linesman jump Scott. Burying him beneath a pile of bodies.

The Sabres Drew Bagnall jumps in to help. He gets double-teamed as Clarkson joins the fray from the bench and Ashton belts him with a sucker-punch.

Sabres d-man Chad Ruhwedel ends up ragdolling Bozak. Kessel ends up bloodying Flynn. Scott ends up dancing with Clarkson, a linesman clinging to his arm, and challenges the Leaves bench as they waltz on by.



Maybe what pissed off the Sabres is how it looked as if Devane purposely rammed Tropp's head into the ice with his forearm while the two were going down.

Or how just prior to Tropp's goal in the game, Marcus Foligno was boarded by Brennan, a play that should have been a penalty.

Said Flynn, "“It was obviously the shift before that. There’s a lot going on out there,” Flynn said. “That’s why we have John [Scott]. John handles those situations and their whole team jumped in, so we jumped in." Scott, by the way, had the primary assist on Nikita Zadorov's late first period goal.

The Leaves were an ornery bunch the night before as well. Ashton and the Sabres Steve Ott went at it while Dion Phaneuf harassed the Sabres' Patrick Kaleta trying to get him to drop the gloves late in the game.

Troy Bodie immediately followed Phaneuf's lead, goading Kaleta into dropping the gloves. The 6'5" Bodie got the worst of the fight with the 6'1" Kaleta.

And this was just preseason.

Can't wait for November 15th when the Leaves visit Buffalo. Or for a possible Round-3 when the Sabres head to Toronto the following night.