Kevin Bieksa and Wayne Simmonds dropped the gloves Sunday, and, in the end, Simmonds went to the penalty box shirtless - both to his and everyone else's amusement.
Both players gave each other back slaps as a form of respect - isn't hockey amazing? - before Simmonds made his way to what would become his makeshift dressing room.
Auston Matthews is the talk of the hockey world, and rightfully so, but three Toronto boys had themselves a banner Sunday evening at home at the Centennial Classic.
Connor Brown, Mitch Marner, and Zach Hyman - all rookies - are living the dream. Brown, 22, and Hyman, 24, are from Toronto, while Marner, 19, is from Markham, just north of the city. All three played critical roles in the Maple Leafs' 5-4 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field to ring in the new year.
Marner got things started with Toronto's second goal of the game, a brilliant snipe - off the post and in - after showing incredible patience in taking the puck into the slot. Based on his celebration, you could tell the tally meant a lot to him:
Seventy seconds later, Hyman set up Brown, who went roof on Jared Coreau from the bottom of the circle. And was Brown ever pumped, celebrating with his Toronto-born teammate:
Less than three minutes later, Hyman and Brown drew assists on Matthews' first of the night, a wicked snipe to perfectly complete an odd-man rush. In about five minutes, the three Toronto kids had two goals and three assists and the Maple Leafs had a 4-1 lead.
While that lead would evaporate, it was restored for good in overtime, and Brown drew his second assist of the game on Matthews' winner.
In the end, the young locals finished with two goals and four assists, representing their city in fine fashion.
"This is a whole new level," Hyman told TSN's Kristen Shilton about playing outdoors in the NHL after experiencing the thrill with the University of Michigan. "This is in my hometown. Never thought I'd be playing (in a) game like this."
Brown, Hyman, and Marner have combined for 21 goals and 38 assists this season, and are a big part of Toronto's youth movement.
After one of the most furious 20 minutes of hockey seen in years, it's safe to say that the Centennial Classic was an overwhelming success, thanks in part to Auston Matthews, who ultimately brought the house down.
In all, the game will go down as one of the more memorable outdoor games, but it could have been remembered as the second-most devastating 4-1 third-period meltdown in Maple Leafs history.
It was a sight to be seen. So, with that, here are some of the best photos of the night:
The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are all set to face off in the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium on Monday at 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET) but Mother Nature may have other plans.
With rain in the St. Louis forecast - AccuWeather is calling for thunderstorms at 1 p.m. local time - the NHL issued a release Sunday evening stating it will announce a start time for the game Monday morning at 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET).
In other words, stay tuned. There may be a delay, and worst-case scenario, the game will be pushed back to Tuesday.
No Winter Classic has ever been postponed, while delays - due to rain and/or sunlight - have become common with respect to outdoor games.
Auston Matthews scored another two - including the overtime winner - Sunday at the Centennial Classic in Toronto, giving him 20 on the season. That's the most among rookies, second-most in the NHL, and tops on the Maple Leafs.
Twenty's a nice round number, especially after only 36 games, but it's significant for another reason, too:
20 goals on the season for Auston Matthews qualifies for A bonus and will earn the Leafs rookie an extra $212,500.
You're not dreaming, Maple Leafs fans. Matthews is real. This is actually happening. And there's still more than half a season's worth of games to go in the kid's fairy-tale season.
Young NHL talent was on display Sunday at the Centennial Classic in Toronto between the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. After a sluggish 40 minutes, the teams erupted for seven goals in the third period, and it was the youth doing the heavy lifting for both clubs.
Six of the nine goals in the game were scored by players aged 22 or younger, and three of them by teenagers, as pointed out by NHL.com's Dan Rosen.
The teens are Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, with Matthews scoring the fourth and fifth goals of the game for Toronto - the latter the OT winner after Toronto blew a 4-1 third-period lead.
Toronto's Connor Brown, 22, added a goal for the blue and white, while Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha, 22, scored twice for Detroit, including the tying goal with just over a second left on the clock in the third period.
The two Original Six clubs took part in the Centennial Classic on Sunday, the first outdoor game hosted in Toronto, as the Leafs and the NHL celebrated the team's centennial season. After a slow start, the contest at BMO Field had some finish.
Detroit led 1-0 after 40 mostly boring minutes, but the third period brought action. Tons of it.
With flashes of 2013 in their heads, the Toronto Maple Leafs recovered after blowing a 4-1 third-period lead thanks to - who else? - Auston Matthews.
The 2016 first-overall pick chipped in his second goal of the game with 1:20 left in overtime to give the Maple Leafs a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings in the Centennial Classic.
For Matthews, the two-goal output gives him 20 on the season, pushing him ahead of Patrik Laine in the rookie goals race and putting him into a tie with Jeff Carter for the second-most league-wide.
Down 4-1 in the third period of the Centennial Classic in Toronto, Detroit stormed back, and Anthony Mantha scored the tying goal on a scramble in front with officially 1.1 seconds left on the clock.
Indoors, outdoors, when the Maple Leafs are up 4-1, bad things happen.
Toronto eventually came out on top, winning 5-4 in overtime on Auston Matthews' 20th goal of the season. But Detroit at least got a point.
