A pair of former Leafs form a friendship after dropping the gloves with one another back in January
Two former Leafs, now both playing with rival teams within the Pacific Division, have become unlikely friends following a fight back in January. Sean Durzi was traded to the Los Angeles Kings back in 2019 in the deal that brought Jake Muzzin to Toronto. Durzi was still in the OHL at the time of the trade. Meanwhile, Zach Hyman walked away from Toronto as a UFA in 2021, signing a 7-year deal in Edmonton.
The fight in question occurred in January of 2023, with both Durzi and Hyman appearing to agree to drop the mitts long before the puck is dropped.
As mentioned in the link above, Zach Hyman's hit on rookie center Quinton Byfield - a hit that the Los Angeles Kings took exception to. As you can see in the link provided below, Byfield was very slow to get up following the hit.
Hyman revealed during his charitable golf tournament last weekend that he and Durzi were among a group of players who were training together at the start of the summer. It came as a bit of a surprise to both players to see the other in attendance, but they quickly got past that and made amends.
"First time he walked in the gym, we looked each other in the eye & started laughing. Like, 'Should we even be talking to each other?'" - Hyman on he and Durzi becoming friends over the offseason
Durzi and Hyman were so quick to patch things up that Hyman even issued Durzi a personal invitation to participate in his charity golf tournament over the past weekend.
Obviously, within the hockey community, there are a lot of different types of players and different characters. Hyman and Durzi both represent the contingent of players who understand that what happens on the ice stays on the ice. Neither seems overly concerned with holding any kind of a grudge.
While they likely never crossed paths outside of training camps in Toronto before Durzi's departure, it's fun to see their paths cross after the fact, actually becoming friends after what began as a personal conflict.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL | ||
AOUT 4 | 179 ANSWERS A pair of former Leafs form a friendship after dropping the gloves with one another back in January Do you think the Leafs made a mistake in not re-signing Zach Hyman? | ||
| Definitely | 91 | 50.8 % |
| No, he wanted too much term and money | 88 | 49.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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