The Florida Panthers’ starter, Sergei Bobrovsky, is known to be collected, mature, and spiritual. He never makes any unnecessary moves on or off the ice. It’s more typical to hear him talking about God or yoga than seeing him lose his cool during a game. Yet, Matthew Tkachuk’s much-anticipated season debut was highlighted by a hot mixed-martial-goalie fight.
Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Nedeljkovic
The Florida Panthers fell 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks on Monday, Jan.19, but the score wasn’t the main headline of the day. Matthew “Chucky” Tkachuk escalated a fight with Vincent Desharnais in the first period. The latter, annoyed by the Panthers’ forward, followed the bait and got two minutes for roughing and two minutes for slashing. Agent Provocateur, a.k.a. Tkachuk, earned a power play for his team. He missed three months of the season due to injury, but he is still great at pushing red buttons without any delays. Regardless of the outcome, Chucky set the mood. Tkachuk rolled in 20:58 minutes on the ice and ended up with a plus/minus of -1. But all eyes and social media buzz were on Bobrovsky. Even his teammates were pleasantly surpised.
Drop The Blocker
NHL goalies don’t drop their equipment as often, including those in the American Hockey League. The price could be too high: penalties, injuries, or losing a game. Surely, it’s an entertaining occasion. The NHL fans haven’t seen a goalie brawl since Feb.1, 2020. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Matthew Tkachuk, who played for the Calgary Flames at that time, was one of the agitators during the Battle of Alberta between the Flames and the Oilers that led to a goalie fight.
Mike Smith vs Cam Talbot
Is it a coincidence that a rare heated discussion happened the day Tkachuk made his season debut?!
Other events trigger any brawl. First, Chucky irritated Desharnais in the opening period. Then, Bobrovsky (and the Panthers, of course) allowed three goals in the first six minutes of the second period—more roughing calls followed on both sides. The Cats finally found the net at the start of the third, but it wasn’t enough. The degree of the meeting increased after Desharnais tripped Samoskevich, and, as a returned favor, Rodrigues hit him in the back. One minor revenge after another, and here we go: the Sharks’ goalie, Alex Nedeljkovic, dived into the crowd along the boards, and punched Rodrigues a few times. It was a total mess behind the San Jose Sharks’ net: players, refs, pushing, pulling, yelling. A two-time Vezina Trophy winner, Sergei Bobrovsky, couldn’t let his manners go unpunished. He challenged Nedeljkovic to a fight. Both netminders were penalized with five minutes for fighting and two minutes for leaving their offices.
"“It’s exciting. But it’s obvious it’s not a thing I’m doing for a living.”"Sergei Bobrovsky
Professional Opinion
After three consecutive finals and two championships, the “In Bob We Trust” motto is almost a classic term by now. Should he add jabbing and crossing skills to his resume? Bobrovsky has the full support not only from his fans but also from his colleagues.
Selected by the Florida Panthers in the 2021 NHL draft (152ndoverall), the 22-year-old Kirill Gerasimyuk signed a two-year contract with the franchise in July 2025. Before being assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, he spent some time with the Panthers, particularly training with Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov.
While getting accustomed to North American hockey and lifestyle, Gerasimyuk has appeared in 10 AHL and 4 ECHL games this season. During the 2025 NHL Prospect Showcase in Tampa, he admitted that his fellow countryman, Sergei Bobrovsky, was his favorite goalie. So, it was amazing for Kirill to be drafted by the Panthers and get a chance to meet and practice with his idol. As for his reaction to Bob’s brutality, Gerasimyuk said the following:
"“It was surreal! I didn’t expect that you could get such a spark at this stage, especially knowing how calm Sergei can be.” "Kirill Gerasimyuk
The AHL and ECHL are very physical leagues, where goalies can act aggressively, too. Kirill Gerasimyuk said that, so far, nobody has invited him to a goalie one-on-one matchup.
"“I would be very skeptical about it. It’s incredibly uncomfortable to fight in a goalie uniform.”"Kirill Gerasimyuk
Another young netminder who looks up to Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy is the Carolina Hurricanes prospect, Ruslan Khazheyev. He hasn’t personally met Bob, but he admires his teamwork.
"“It’s cool to see how Sergei stood up for his teammates. He has so many achievements and trophies, yet he is very down-to-earth.”"Ruslan Khazheyev
An independent opinion comes from the Panthers’ fan, an MMA fighter and a defending Oktagon flyweight champion, Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
"“Honestly, hockey fights are so brutal. I can’t believe it.”"Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Isn’t it hilarious to have this comment from an MMA fighter?! It sounds like Bobrovsky can do it all.
With over 2,000 on-ice minutes, three shutouts, one assist, and one fight this season, what else could the 37-year-old netminder wish for? Perhaps, a contract extension….