"Tough guy when Reaves isn't playing" "That's full blow Todd Bertuzzi": NHL fans react to Arber Xhekaj's punches catching Cedric Pare by surprise

Fans were quick to react to the heated confrontation between Arber Xhekaj and Cedric Pare during a preseason game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The incident unfolded after Patrik Laine left the game following a knee-on-knee collision with Pare.

The hit sparked a fiery response from Laine's teammate Arber Xhekaj, who confronted Pare and landed several punches while Pare was down the ice.

Fans took to social media to react to Xhekaj's punches catching Pare by surprise. One fan commented,

"Tough guy when Reaves isn't playing," noting the absence of Ryan Reaves in the game for Montreal.

Another fan drew comparisons to Todd Bertuzzi's infamous attack on Steve Moore, commenting:

"That’s full blow Todd bertuzzi lol he should get more than a few games."

Bertuzzi knocked Moore unconscious in that incident which resulted in ending Moore's hockey career.

Here are some fan reactions:

"He should be suspended. I don't care that it is pre-season, that shit is uncalled for and should not be in the game." one fan wrote on X.

"Pare had it coming, washed up minor league pos." another fan wrote.

"I’m not sure what Xhekaj unloaded, he had his gloves on the whole time." a user commented.

"What a waste for Xhekaj. He knew Pare wasn't doing anything. This accomplished nothing." another user commented.

Xhekaj was penalized for a total of 27 minutes which included a 10-minute misconduct, a 10-minute instigator penalty, a 5-minute fighting major, and an extra 2 minutes for instigating. This resulted in Xhekaj being ejected from the game and giving the Maple Leafs a rare 7-minute power play.

Cedric Pare on Arber Xhekaj's surprise hit.

Arber Xhekaj's hit caught Cedric Pare by surprise and he admitted after the game that he wasn't ready for that kind of physicality from the opposing player.

"He's got to defend his teammates. I wasn't. I mean I wasn't ready for that, like kinda caught me by surprise, but, you know, started doing like that, I gotta face it," Pare said about the hit from Arber Xhekaj.

In regard to his collision with the Patrik Laine, Pare expressed regret about the incident, saying:

"It's a fast game, it wasn't my intention. It's just unfortunate. I hope he's fine. It wasn't my intention. I didn't mean to do that."

Laine was a crucial offseason pickup for the Canadiens. He faced challenges last season due to a broken clavicle, limiting him to 18 games. He received help from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program from January until he was cleared in July.