Faber does what’s necessary, even if its fighting for first time in his career

As recently as a decade ago, fighting was as common as hearing the national anthem at a hockey game. But in the kinder, gentler NHL of 2024, the traditional “goon” is hard-pressed to find work, and two players trading blows is becoming more and more rare.

Prior to Tuesday’s road win in Pittsburgh, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber had played hundreds of games in high school, juniors, college, the Olympics and the NHL and had never dropped the gloves. Technically, even after a dust-up with Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany late in the contest at PPG Paints Arena, Faber still hasn’t dropped both gloves in a game.

“I wasn’t expecting it, really. I wasn’t even able to drop my left glove,” Faber said following the Wild’s practice on Thursday at TRIA Rink.

The fists flew after Faber tangled with Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby along the boards in the Pittsburgh offensive zone, and the two exchanged a few shoves once they had gotten back to their skates. St. Ivany, quick to defend one of the NHL’s marquee attractions, stepped in and soon both men’s fists were flying for a few seconds before they were separated and sent to the penalty box for five minutes of enforced solitude.

It was the first fighting major called on the Wild this season, and it came in their ninth game.

Wild coach John Hynes joked that after Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson scored a goal earlier in the month, the generally mild-mannered Faber playing the role of enforcer was just the latest bit of unexpectedness on the ice in October.

“We’ve got a goalie that scores and Fabes has got the first major (penalty) of the year, right,” Hynes said. “You know what, that’s what brings teams together, things like that.”

Indeed, Faber’s teammates were congratulatory of the former Minnesota Gophers’ willingness to play any role in an important road win, even if it meant taking and delivering a few punches.

“He’s a beast. It’s fun to see,” Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said. “That wasn’t on the bingo card, that’s for sure. I thought he did pretty good for only getting one glove off. Obviously, it was the situation he was in, to do what he did was pretty cool.”

Hartman returns to ice-level view

Hockey looks easier when viewed from high in the stands or from the press box. That’s a lesson Wild forward Ryan Hartman learned over the last five games of their sizable October road trip, as he sat out with an upper-body injury. As he prepped to return to his normal view from ice level for Friday’s game with Tampa Bay, Hartman was reflective of his time with a birds-eye view.

“You see a lot more…Things look so much easier from up top than it is when you’re on the ice,” he said following Friday’s morning skate.

After the team went 5-1-1 on the trip, Hartman liked what he saw of his teammates and the work they did way down there on the ice.

“The team looks good. We’re playing in groups of five, we’re playing all together. We’re not spread out,” said Hartman, who had a pair of goals in the four games he played prior to Friday. “Sometimes when you start to lose, you’re playing separately and guys are disorganized. We’re playing all together and it looks really good.

Hartman played on the team’s fourth line with Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov to start on Friday.