Octopus Thrower
Fansided

The ref had enough of everyone after Red Wings' brawl with Sabres

The Red Wings will now try to preserve a newfound winning streak on Friday, but let’s take one more look at a hilarious, rivalry-defining moment from Wednesday.
ByTodd Matthews|
Mar 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The referees try and break up a fight between Detroit Red Wings left wing J.T. Compher (37) and Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) in the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Mar 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The referees try and break up a fight between Detroit Red Wings left wing J.T. Compher (37) and Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) in the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

It feels good for the Red Wings to be back in the win column, and maybe if they take Tage Thompson’s inadvertent advice, they’ll stay in the win column. But it won’t get any easier for the Red Wings on Friday night as they’ll square off against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

So, if the Wings start giving fans headaches again with the stagnant at best play we saw over that infamous six-game winning streak, let me give them something to smile about. Well, other than the 7-3 thrashing over the Buffalo Sabres. 

That alone was fun for fans to watch, and when it comes to hockey, so are brawls…sometimes, anyway. Unlike the other three North American pro sports leagues, fighting is more commonplace in hockey, even if it’s scaled back some in recent seasons. Still, every now and again, we’ll get a nice, little throwback. 

Fighting in hockey is one thing, but so are the ways officials handle it

When the game was all but over late in the third period, you may remember the Sabres got a little angry and were only too happy to drop gloves with the Red Wings, a team that has played very well lately against the Blue and Gold. 

Anyway, the scrum ended with the teams combining for over 130 penalty minutes in the third period alone. And while it adds a chapter to one of the newer divisional rivalries out there, it also came with an entertaining moment, thanks to referee Frederick L’Ecuyer. 

In what fans will remember for years to come, L’Ecuyer said, “Detroit's gonna have a minor for roughing, and all the other guys gonna have a misconduct," Yep, plain, simple, and to the point, and something that we can hope all other officials around the league will start saying as opposed to naming names and telling fans what they already know is coming. 

If the Red Wings suffer at least there’s a bright spot to look back on

I outlined the Red Wings upcoming schedule earlier this week and it’s brutal, so if they revert to their losing ways this week, we may all be looking forward to baseball season and seeing what the Detroit Tigers got going for them. Or, if you’re an NBA fan, the Pistons may catch your interest. 

But, for you die-hard NHL fans out there, know that the 7-3 victory the other night didn’t just outright confirm the Wings lapped the Sabres in their respective rebuilds; it provided a memorable moment in what will go down in both Red Wings and Sabres lore when these two teams meet for the coming decades. 

And with laughter serving as the best medicine during uncertain times such as these for the Wings, why not go back and check out L’Ecuyer’s quip? That is what you call an instant classic, and for those of us who saw it, we’ll remember exactly where we were when it happened.

Home/Red Wings News

Schedule