Watch: Penguins Jamie Devane KO’s Ben Harpur in Preseason Fight
PITTSBURGH — It was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ annual game for kids in which thousands of kids from local hockey programs attend a preseason tilt. On Sunday, the Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in OT at PPG Paints Arena. The fans went home happy, and Jamie Devane made a point, too.
Fans in attendance also got an eye full, as Columbus tough guy Ben Harpur got a face full from the WBS Penguins grinder Devane.
The pair squared off in the third period to show off for their respective organizations. Devane landed a few left-handed jabs before unleashing a few right hands. The last one caught Harpur flush on the chin.
Devane KO’d Harpur, who initially laid motionless before being helped off the ice by a couple of teammates.
Devane, 31, is a career minor leaguer known more for toughness than finesse. Devane had four fights in 27 games with the WBS Penguins last season, according to HockeyFights.com. He has two career NHL games, both with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013-14.
Jamie Devane is 6-foot-5, 239 pounds. He squared off against the bigger Harpur, 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds. Harpur also had four fights last season, including three in the NHL. Harpur, 27, has played in 156 NHL games.
It was a clean knockout, as Devane immediately stopped punching and called to his felled opponent in concern as the officials signaled for the Columbus trainers. Video courtesy of the Mitten Media YouTube account, which specializes in hockey highlights.
UPDATE: Some good news from Columbus puck scribe Aaron Portzline:
Defenseman Ben Harpur, in camp with #CBJ on a PTO, suffered a scary end to a fight with Penguins forward Jamie Devane in the earlier game today in Pittsburgh.
Told he was able to fly back to Columbus with the Blue Jackets.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) September 25, 2022
https://youtu.be/Zg1C8jbuhCY
I know fighting is still part of the game, but maybe it’s now time it shouldn’t be. There were lots of young kids in attendance, possibly seeing their very first game. Dear NHL, I think it’s time…
Tell it to the Rangers and the Craps. Most kids watch UFC and did you ever hear of ground and pound.
Geez, Watch golf if you can’t handle it.
I never said I didn’t like it (which as an NHL traditionalist, I kinda do). I also never said I couldn’t handle it. I’m just questioning if it adds anything to hockey (my favorite sport) and the NHL in 2022.
I took MMA and play hockey. HUGE difference between fighting in MMA and during a hockey game. MMA has rules in place to stop the fight as soon as one participant can’t defend himself. In hockey a knockout means falling on ice. And, like in the video, many times without a helmet. I’m not saying to take fighting out of the game completely. But, there is a really big difference.
Thankfully Devane stopped when he did
My point was kids watch it
And it’s a lousy point. Kids have always watched hockey
Accounting for participation, more people die from MMA fights than hockey fights. I’m not arguing for it but going off your logic, you should be arguing for the end of fighting in MMA🙃
John, it will never be taken out of NHL. Canadians have no problems with physical aspects of their National Sport.. Their summer sport is Lacrosse, another pretty physical sport. Our northern cities have no problems with physical hockey.
Ah, the good old days when kids weren’t allowed to watch hockey games. WTF are you talking about?
Get rid of fighting in hockey. It adds nothing to the game.
I LOVE fighting in hockey. Stop acting like you don’t like it because you want to be politically correct. No one cares
Mark is just trolling
At the annual kids game. What an embarresment to hockey.
I respect John’s opinion–below), but I would name Devane to the Pens’ fourth line, right now!!
Sure, play a guy that brings nothing but a good right hook over promising players like doc, poulin, or zohorna. 🙄
Who sits for 3 games, then get couple shifts in a game, the sit again?
They should dress Devane for the first game vs. NYR, and send him out as soon as Trouba hits the ice. Banning fighting and enforcing the rules would make for a better game (watch the Olympics), but until they do, it’s eye for an eye.
BattleshipBobk I like your way of thinking but I think I read the Rangers made that a$$hole their Captain so they would probably send Reaves and that might back fire. Pens definitely need to keep Devane and maybe find some more grit because the Core deserves some protection.
That’s right. Trouba is their captain, now. As long as Sullivan is the coach the Pens will NEVER have an enforcer. As long as his star players, and not him, are getting bashed in their heads and faces its OK. The crock of being team tough is just his excuse. After a player is intentionally targeted and injured, being team tough doesn’t matter and those guys end up getting their butts kicked in the scrums.
What a disadvantage when you lose your helmet. I would say Devane is a coward for not removing his own helmet as well to even the match.
Not sure that’s how it works. The boys like that have a code. Ugly as the result was, the combatants played fair.
Harpur got hit in the jaw, not his forehead. Do you really think that Harpur expected Devane to stop the fight so that he could remove his helmet…?
If you watch the fight you will see that Harpur landed a punch on Devane that was blocked by Devane’s helmet viser just before the punch that knocked Harpur down. If Devane had not been wearing a helmet that punch might have ended the fight. There is no way a fight is fair when one is wearing a helmet and viser and the other is not. It takes a half second to remove your helmet. When one player loses a helmet the fight should be stopped right away because of the potential injury from the head hitting the ice.
Keith
This is part of the reason why hockey is a 5th or 6th sport in America and some polls say it was just passed by soccer. Its ok to have fights but they should be stopped immediately and not turned into a side freak show.