Craig Custance answers reader questions in his mailbag every Friday. Got a question of your own? Submit it here.
Which two goalies are most likely to get in a fight among starters in the NHL (and for the sake of this question, you cannot say someone who has been in a fight before), and who would win? -- Drew, Plano, Texas
That's a heck of a question to start things off, Drew. So, if we're playing by your rules, we have to rule out goalies who have been in a fight. Using hockeyfights.com as a reference, we can eliminate Rick DiPietro, Marty Biron, Ray Emery, Ty Conklin, Mathieu Garon, Brent Johnson, Miikka Kiprusoff, Al Montoya, Carey Price, Mike Smith and Tim Thomas. I hope I'm not forgetting anyone.
Historically, goalie fights happen between two rivals or teams that have formed some animosity in big games or the playoffs. So I'm going to go with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers, because those are both teams with a fighter mentality who have seen recent playoff time against each other. I can't use Thomas, so I'll predict the next goalie fight happening between Tuukka Rask and Ilya Bryzgalov.
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- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigCustance
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