SAN JOSE, Calif. – Just 15 seconds after he scored his ninth goal of the year, matching his total from last season, Nico Sturm squared off with Brett Ritchie to the left of the San Jose Sharks’ net.
It didn’t matter to Sturm that he had just one fighting major in the NHL prior to Tuesday’s game with the Calgary Flames, or that he was giving up about 10 pounds to Ritchie, a much more experienced pugilist.
Sturm had just seen Ritchie flatten Marc-Edouard Vlasic against the boards and perhaps without much regard for his own well-being, immediately challenged him, throwing his gloves down on the ice.
