Edmonton Oilers’ Frederic details electric playoff fight
Edmonton Oilers fans are loud in the playoffs, but it can get kind of hard to hear them when you have an NHL player trying to punch you in the face.
That was Trent Frederic’s experience during the first period of Monday night’s Game 4 between the Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place. It all started with a collision after the whistle between Edmonton forward Mattias Janmark and Vegas goaltender Adin Hill.
A spirited scrum ensued in the corner and eventually resulted in Golden Knights defender Nicolas Hague dropping the gloves with Frederic.
“It kinda just happened,” Frederic told Daily Hive. “It’s not looking like I was looking for one… Seemed like he had his gloves off, so once I saw that, I was like ‘Oh, I guess we’re doing this.'”
“Some stuff happened, and before you know it, you’re getting punched and you’re in a fight.”
Trent Frederic vs Nick Hague fight of the year. pic.twitter.com/QRouhM7nAY
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) May 13, 2025
It was quite a heavyweight bout between the 221-pound Frederic and the 245-pound Hague. The two players traded blows with momentum swinging between the two as the fight progressed. It’s not often you see players drop the gloves in the playoffs, but it got an already rowdy Rogers Place crowd to another level as Frederic skated to the penalty box.
He said that he wasn’t too sure if his fight was the reason why the fans were so loud.
“I felt like they were bringing it all night,” Frederic said of Oilers fans. “I don’t know if the fight necessarily helped that or not, but it seems like they’re always bringing that, so that’s cool.”
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for Frederic during these playoffs. He appeared in just one regular-season game with the Oilers and just one game at all since February before he came back ready for the playoffs.
It forced him to get familiar with his new teammates and eliminated any bit of transitional period he might have had if he were healthy after the trade deadline.
“It made it difficult at first, but I feel like I have gotten in a decent enough groove and I’m feeling better,” Frederic said. “It’s not too hard to find chemistry with these guys. Everyone’s pretty positive, so when you’re putting out confidence, it makes everyone feel good and makes you play to the best of your ability.”
Not only was Frederic brought in a bit cold to start the playoffs, but he was also expected to bring a physical element to the Oilers down the lineup. That might’ve been easy for a healthy Frederic, but considering his injury woes this year, it added yet another layer of difficulty to his return.
Fortunately, he’s managed to take that challenge in stride.
“I try to be physical and get my hits in, but sometimes you don’t want to be chasing hits and putting yourself out of position,” Frederic said. “It’s a different system than I’ve played in the past… I think it’s just about when you get your chance, make them hard and then just play good hockey from there.”