It's the circle of hockey life.

As Kevin Shattenkirk continues to find his legs as a member of the Washington Capitals, he was made to feel welcome by a somewhat unlikely friend.

During Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Capitals forward Justin Williams came to Shattenkirk's defense after a skirmish broke out. What's notable about this is that Shattenkirk and Williams once dropped the gloves as members of the Blues and Kings, respectively.

Flashback time: Here's Shattenkirk and Williams going at it over two years ago.

And here's Williams throwing down with Nick Cousins, who went after Shattenkirk for a hit delivered on Brandon Manning on Saturday.

That an old foe stepped in to help was not lost on Shattenkirk.

"It was amazing," Shattenkirk said, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "For me to only be here for a few days so far and to come out there in an emotional game like this against a big rival for these guys and now for me, it was a great start. And for him to stick up for me, especially with our little tussle that we had a few years ago, that's the type of guy he is.

"That's why he's been in this league for so long, because he's such a great teammate. I hope he knows that I would do the same for him."

With the playoffs just around the corner, the battle's just getting started.

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