Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat finished last night’s overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres one assist short of a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-2 decision and getting in a fight with Buffalo’s Trevor Kuntar…
Kuntar vs DeBrincat #LetsGoBuffalo #LGRW pic.twitter.com/qrgyFN9U3Y
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) September 25, 2026
After the game, DeBrincat told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he expected to get some blowback from coach Todd McLellan…
“It’s an intense game,” DeBrincat said. “(Kuntar) had done some stuff earlier in the game, too. And in the pile, he came in hard, I just saw red, I guess. Probably shouldn’t be fighting, but it is what it is. And it’s an intense game out there. So we got to play hard and do what we need to do.”
DeBrincat said coach Todd McLellan has never told him to avoid fighting. He has eight career fighting majors in the regular season, according to hockeyfights.com.
“He might say something now, but … I’m a competitor,” DeBrincat said. “I was getting (ticked) off, and it just happened. So, probably not exactly what I want to do, especially in preseason or anytime really.”
But coach McLellan told the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker that he was in fact quite proud of DeBrincat:
“He’s gonna hear from me for sure, and I’m going to pat him on the back and say, ‘That’s Cat,’ and that he’s competitive and we have no problem with that,” McLellan said. “I thought he showed leadership, and sometimes that triggers a guy to really get ready for the season.
“If Cat thinks he’s going to hear from me in a negative way, that won’t be the case,” McLellan continued. “I’ll pat him on the back and say, ‘Hell of a job tonight.'”
While some coaches may shudder at one of their prize goal-scoring forwards potentially risking injury in a fight, McLellan clearly values DeBrincat’s intensity and leadership qualities that are displayed in his rare but intense bouts.
Detroit can’t afford to lose DeBrincat, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027, to any kind of injury. While some coaches may discourage their star scorers from dropping the gloves, DeBrincat apparently has the green light from McLellan to do so.
I have no worries in the “DeBrincat will suffer a season-ending knuckle injury” category. He’s not going to fight again unless he absolutely has to, and last night, the little guy proved that he’s 5’8″ full of fists of fury.
