By Ian Mendes, Eric Duhatschek and Joe Smith
The fight itself only lasted 20 seconds.
But 20 years later, the battle between Jarome Iginla and Vincent Lecavalier remains seared in the minds of hockey fans as one of the most iconic moments in Stanley Cup Final history.
It was two superstars at the peak of their dominance and stardom, dropping the gloves and squaring off on the NHL’s biggest stage. And two decades later, their passionate tilt remains as tangible evidence for advocates who want to keep some form of fighting — at least the kind spurred by genuine, raw emotion — in the league.
Iginla vs Lecavalier
May 29, 2004https://t.co/xsOrRZLayM pic.twitter.com/Hl0j9SsGjl
— hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) June 27, 2020
The post-lockout era of the NHL has emphasized skill and speed over the physicality and fighting that ruled the game in the 30 years leading up to 2005. There have been only seven total fights recorded in the Stanley Cup Final in the salary cap era since 2005-06.
And all seven of those fights occurred in the third period of a game that was already decided by a multi-goal margin.
So when was the last time there was a first-period fight in the Stanley Cup Final?
It was Game 3 of the 2004 Stanley Cup between the Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning, featuring the epic Iginla-Lecavalier tilt — the final fight of the pre-salary cap NHL.
It wasn’t staged.
It wasn’t predictable.
It was simply the result of emotions boiling over for two competitive superstars. When Iginla and Lecavalier dropped the gloves on May 29, 2004, both the game and series were tied at that point. The stakes could not have been much higher, lending credence to the argument that it’s the last time we’ve seen a genuine, meaningful fight in the Stanley Cup Final.
With Wednesday marking the 20th anniversary of Lecavalier and Iginla’s bout, The Athletic reached out to the two former superstars and a handful of other people who were on the ice at the Saddledome in Calgary that night for their recollections of one of the most memorable fights in NHL history.
The lead-up
Jarome Iginla: It was the third game of the series. And then being at home with the emotions. We were a pretty competitive, feisty team, so that was kind of in our style. Then being back at home and trying to play aggressively and more in attack mode. That’s kind of how it started.
Vincent Lecavalier: I felt after Game 2 that something might happen with him. I just had a feeling because the series was 1-1. I know how he plays and how he tries to agitate the other team. So I had a feeling I would have to fight him in Game 3.
Brad Lukowich, Tampa defenseman: Jarome fought someone from every team in every round that year. And they were never slouches. We figured he wouldn’t fight Andre (Roy). I think it was on Vinny’s mind too.
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Craig Conroy, Calgary forward: Jarome fought every round that year. He fought (Mattias) Ohlund in the Vancouver series and (Derian) Hatcher in the Detroit series. I forget who he fought against in San Jose. It didn’t matter if it was in the Stanley Cup Final or a preseason game against a person you’d never heard of before. That was the way Jarome was.
Mike Commodore, Calgary defenseman: That Calgary team — with Chris Simon, Krzysztof Oliwa, Steve Montador, Jarome Iginla and others — that was the toughest team I ever played for. We just saw Jarome go after Derian Hatcher in the last round. And when Jarome is pissed, he’s mean.
Jordan Leopold, Calgary defenseman: We had a heavy team. We could be intimidating. Iggy being our leading scorer and skill guy and being able to drop the gloves is pretty impressive. You try to intimidate your opponent and get any edge you can.
Darren Pang, ABC on-ice analyst: That was a battle for every inch of ice in that series. It was a war of attrition for sure. There was a build-up for sure in that series. And it wasn’t necessarily those two guys.
Tim Taylor, Tampa forward: In the first two games and even in the beginning of Game 3, they were trying to be that team that pushed us around.
Lukowich: For us, we knew how they were going to play. They were running teams out. They were physically trying to wear you out. They stuck to their game plan. And they ran us through the end boards — often.
The battle behind the net
Lecavalier: During that shift, I felt it right away in the corner behind the net. I feel like he was trying to get me going behind the net. I think he kind of pushed me three or four times.
Iginla: We got into it around the front of the net and then the back of the net. I think it was more just because I was trying to battle.
Kerry Fraser, on-ice referee: I remember that battle below the goal line. If they had separated, they would play on. But it was two leaders and neither wanted to give up an inch. And from my end in those situations, if you blow the whistle, they’re going to be fighting.
Lecavalier: It was one of those moments you knew there was going to be a fight.
Iginla: I didn’t know if he was into fighting as much — or if he was just trying to get an advantage or an edge.
Leopold: I don’t think Iggy thought Lecavalier would drop the gloves. For Iggy it was quite normal, but for Vinny not necessarily.
Taylor: I didn’t see it coming. It was like one guy whacked another guy and they kind of went at it. And then both dropped the gloves and in the emotion of a series, that happens — but not to that magnitude where you have two guys who are your star players go at it. They were two very smart players and it was them knowing the moment. And neither one was going to back down. It was a reflection of the series. No team wanted to give an inch.
The fight
Iginla: To be honest, I don’t remember exactly how it started. I’ve seen highlights. But I don’t remember anything specific, if he chirped me or I chirped him.
Lecavalier: I knew by the way he went into the corner, he was looking for it. So as hockey players, you just know that he wants to go. Once you feel that, then you know you’re going to fight someone, right?
Pang: I remember thinking, “Woah. This would be like seeing Jean Beliveau going after Jean Ratelle.” These two guys are so well respected. It wasn’t a soft bout. That was a heavyweight matchup. Were we stunned? No, I think we were more excited by it.
Commodore: The sequence is a little blurry in my mind, but what I do remember clearly is that when they decided to drop the gloves, I was well aware of how tough Jarome was, but I didn’t know about Vinny. I really thought Jarome was going to smoke him. And I thought Vinny might get killed.
Lukowich: I played with Jarome in junior and he used to pound on guys. People don’t understand the man strength he had at 16 years old. I’ve had a history of watching him smack around guys for three years in junior. Then it felt like full circle watching him come around and fight Vinny.
Andre Roy, Tampa forward: We always stand up when there’s a fight, but now it’s two great players. And we’re just hoping Vinny doesn’t get hurt. But I knew he could handle himself like Iggy.
Conroy: You want Jarome to really kick his ass (laughs). Once it starts, you think, “Beat him, Jarome!” That’s all your teammates too. You don’t want to see anybody get hurt, but once they get going, you definitely are rooting for your guy.
Fraser: I was surprised with Vinny dropping his gloves. I had the utmost respect for Jarome as a leader and player. And you would expect Jarome to beat up Vinny. At least I would.
Lecavalier: I thought I did OK. I think Jarome is probably more of a fighter than me. He was a righty and a lefty and he could really fight. But I feel like I’ve never backed down from anybody. It doesn’t mean that I thought I was going to win. I think Jarome is probably tougher than me, but I thought the fight went pretty well. I thought I had a pretty good start. If we would have fought for five minutes, I think he would have beaten me up pretty good.
After the Iginla-Lecavalier in the first period, the Flames eventually defeated the Lightning 3-0 in Game 3. (Dave Sandford / Getty Images)
Conroy: It was a medium-length fight. It wasn’t like they threw one punch and a guy went down. Sometimes, Jarome had long fights. Like really long fights. But I don’t think this one was.
Commodore: I give Vinny full marks. He hung in there and did really well. But I would say Jarome won the fight.
Roy: To see your top player going at it, we’re all standing on the bench. And I think Vinny did pretty well. It was a tight fight and pretty even. I think both benches were fired up. And the Saddledome, that whole building went nuts. Our bench was screaming and tapping the bench with our sticks. We’re all yelling, “Let’s go. Let’s f—— go!” It gave a big jump to our bench and I’m sure it did the same for the Flames. Just to see those two going at it like that, the energy it created on both benches, we’re not used to seeing that. Two star players. It was a great moment.
Lukowich: Vinny answered the bell pretty damn well. Jarome was a heavyweight. But Vinny was no slouch. He was as strong as an ox. That was two big boys on a main stage in front of millions of people. It was a great dance.
Conroy: The building went crazy. I know people don’t like fighting, but nobody was going to get a beer while that was going on.
Taylor: Torts (John Tortorella) was so excited behind the bench. As much as he respected Vinny at the time, he had more respect for him at that moment.
Roy: During the TV timeout after the fight, I skated over to the penalty box. When you do that role yourself, you know it’s a tough job. And for Vinny it wasn’t part of his game. We always appreciated guys who did that. It’s not fun to take a punch in the face. So I said, “Great job Vinny.”
Lecavalier: Andre skating over, I could see in his face how pumped he was because he was usually the one who does that. He was jacked up, you could tell just the way he was looking at me.
Lukowich: We were proud as hell. It was old school hockey, man.
Pang: I remember the next day, we’re having coffee and seeing the headlines in the Calgary papers. We’re looking at the pictures. And we realized the scale of it because it wasn’t a predictable thing.
The momentum from that fight
Taylor: I felt that game — even though we lost — was a turning point in the series because we knew we couldn’t just go out and outskill them. We had to outwill them from that point on and Vinny set the table for that. It was a huge moment for us. If Iginla tried to fight one of our best players and we didn’t respond, I don’t know what it does to our team psychology going forward after Game 3. But Vinny sending a message directly back to them made us a little taller — each and every one of us.
Lecavalier: It does mean a lot that (Taylor) would say that. And at the end of the day as one of the captains and one of the many leaders on the team, you do try and inspire your teammates. I’m happy that happened. And I’m sure Jarome’s teammates thought the same thing. He inspired his teammates the way he played. And that series could have gone in either direction for who could have won the Cup.
Commodore: At the end of the fight, it was definitely a big moment for them. But it was good for us too.
Conroy: It might have been bigger for Lecavalier to do it, because Jarome did it every series and (fought) all the time. Vinny wasn’t known for that. So you’ve got to give him credit. He wasn’t known for fighting and all of a sudden, he steps up.
Fraser: This fight was more significant for Tampa. Everybody knew what Jarome brought to the table. Highly respected and a great leader. But on the other side you weren’t sure on Vinny. He was a big-time scorer. But he said, “I’m going to show our guys what’s required to push us emotionally.” It was a pivotal point in a tough series that I believe worked to the advantage of Tampa.
Taylor: This wasn’t a fight: Vinny against Iginla. This was a fight for us to win the Stanley Cup. And that’s what it was all about. It was Vinny putting Tampa Bay on his back and trying to win the Stanley Cup. He changed the complexion of the series by sticking up for our team and sending a message.
Does Iginla vs. Lecavalier prove there is still room for fighting in hockey?
Lecavalier: I wasn’t a fighter and I don’t want to pretend that I was, but I do think it has a place in the game. You have to inspire your teammates and defend your teammates. If somebody is running and he knows there are five guys on the other team that can do that, he’s going to calm down a bit. So I think it’s a part of the game. It’s not as big as it used to be, but it keeps the accountability within the game.
Iginla: Some of it’s in the heat of the moment, you’re battling and you’re trying to get the advantage. Some of it is sticking up for another teammate or yourself. And then some are, you just don’t like each other. So there’s a variety of reasons to fight.
Commodore: I agree there is a place for fighting in the game. Look, the heyday from the ’80s and ’90s and some of that stuff was out of control. I get that. But I think there is a place for it in the game and this fight showed that. It showed those two guys cared.
Pang: It was a great moment in a seven-game series. It wasn’t staged. It was just instinctive. Two guys that respect each other and play hard. That’s what made it such an important fight in the history of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Roy: I see people saying there shouldn’t be fighting. And we got rid of staged fighting. But in the heat of the moment like this? With two great players like this, I think it just gives an extra energy and a boost. What it can do for a team, it’s hard to explain. You feed off the adrenaline.
Iginla: I got to fight just out of competitive spirit, or when I was mad. It’s a big difference compared to some of the guys over the years, where it’s their job and they’re not fired up. So that’s a lot harder job. I got to do it more as a spur-of-the-moment thing. I didn’t have many predetermined fights. “Oh, this guy’s coming to town and these guys are fighting,” the way some guys did. That’s pretty hard. That weighs on you in a different way, right? Guys were pressured. It was a spectacle.
Lecavalier, pictured hoisting the Stanley Cup in the dressing room after the Lightning’s Game 7 Cup Final win, was credited by his teammates with firing them up in their battle with Calgary. (Elsa / Getty Images)
On how often the fight has come up in conversations in the 20 years afterward
Lecavalier: So when I went to the training camp for Team Canada for the World Cup in Calgary a few months later, I was roommates with (Iginla). And my first thought was, “Oh no. This is going to be awkward.” But it wasn’t the fight, it was more about us winning the Stanley Cup and him coming so close. I don’t want to say it was awkward, I thought it was going to be a tough conversation. But we didn’t really talk about any of it to be honest. Jarome is one of the nicest people you can ever speak to.
Roy: It’s crazy that it’s been 20 years already. Feels like it happened maybe 10 years ago. But Vinny is one of my good friends and if we ever get together for a dinner in the summer, I’ll say to him, “Remember that fight with Iggy in the Final?” I played with Iggy at the end of my career in Calgary, but I never talked to him about it when I played with the Flames. It never came up.
Lecavalier: Life goes by quick, right? I have three kids now and I don’t play hockey anymore. But it’s certainly something I hear about and people want to talk about. It seems like random people from Calgary or Tampa, they often come up and ask me about it. They want me to autograph a picture of it. So it makes it pretty cool.
Taylor: If Vinny would have beat him up and we lost the series, would we be sitting talking about it? No. And I don’t think they are talking about it as much as we do. This was one of the bigger moments in the Finals.
Lukowich: If this happened in the first round, it’s probably not a big deal. But to happen in the Final, it had to have been a moment. I mean, we’re talking about it 20 years later, right?
(Top photo: Dave Sandford / Getty Images)
