dallasnews
The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche clashed Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, and while the 3-2 Colorado victory was the headline, the simmering tension between the two Central Division foes boiled over in a way that could define their season series. With both teams still searching for consistency and missing key players like Cale Makar, Wyatt Johnston, and Matt Duchene, the game itself may not have offered a clear picture of what's to come. But one thing was unmistakable: the hatred between these rivals has reached a fever pitch, and the top-line centers are right in the middle of it.
In a stunning second-period moment, Roope Hintz and Nathan MacKinnon shed their gloves and traded blows. Hintz, who had never fought in his NHL career, landed at least four punches, opening a cut on MacKinnon's nose that sent Colorado's superstar to the locker room bleeding heavily. Hintz spent five minutes in the penalty box, icing his hand, while the home crowd roared its approval.
"I was surprised," said Mikko Rantanen with a smile after the game. "I think Roope got him pretty good with the first one. Good for him. He's a competitor. Obviously, Nate is pretty tough, too."
The altercation didn't come out of nowhere. The bad blood between Hintz and MacKinnon traces back years. Hintz still remembers MacKinnon's role in ending his 2024-25 season: a March 6 collision that tore Hintz's hamstring in two places, sidelining him for the rest of the year. "I knew right from the start he looked agitated with the whole thing, obviously, with what happened last year and him missing the playoffs for us," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I think that was a blow for him. Good on him. I thought we had energy tonight. We had fight."
Further back, in the 2025 playoffs, Hintz was caught cross-checking MacKinnon in the back of the head during Game 5 of their first-round series but escaped a penalty, infuriating Colorado fans. The year before, MacKinnon cross-checked Hintz in Game 4 of their second-round series, an incident that left Hintz injured and forced him to miss the final two games of that series and the first two of the Western Conference finals.
Tuesday's fight wasn't the only display of animosity. In the first period, Radek Faksa and Fedor Svechkov dropped the gloves after Faksa hit Jaden Schwartz; Svechkov received an instigating penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Even Rantanen, facing his former team, got physical, knocking MacKinnon into the boards and drawing loud cheers from the Dallas crowd.
But no cheers were louder than when MacKinnon left the ice with blood streaming down his face, courtesy of Hintz. Hintz was unavailable for comment after the game as he received treatment from the team doctor before the Stars' flight to Denver.
Dallas will have a chance to even the series Wednesday in Denver, and the teams will meet again for consecutive games in January. Who ultimately wins the season series remains to be seen, but if Tuesday was any indication, neither team will have an easy path.
"Both teams want to be top teams, want to be teams that are going to be contenders and want to win it all," Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist said. "Obviously, it's a rivalry, and I feel like both teams really want to win."
Key Analysis
The Hintz-MacKinnon feud adds another layer to one of the NHL's most bitter rivalries. With both players central to their teams' success, their personal history could fuel even more intense matchups down the line. The Stars and Avalanche are set to meet again Wednesday and in January, and if Tuesday's game is any indication, every encounter will be a battle.
Originally reported by dallasnews.