It hasn’t taken long for Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj to be considered one of the toughest players in the NHL.
Just ask one of the guys he beat up…
Last week, NHL veteran Patrick Maroon was a guest on the Casa De Klub podcast with former MLB pitcher Corey Kluber. About halfway through the interview, the Chicago Blackhawks forward was asked to name “the toughest fight in the league.”
Going off of personal experience, Maroon, who has an extensive history of heavyweight bouts, placed the 23-year-old Canadiens blueliner in his top three, including him after enforcer Ryan Reaves.
“That WiFi guy, I don’t even know how to say his name, in Montreal,” Maroon said, highlighting one of Xhekaj’s many nicknames. “He beat the living piss out of me in Montreal.”
The 36-year-old wasn’t exaggerating.
Xhekaj, who was just a rookie at the time, had Maroon’s number back in December 2022 as the Tampa Bay Lightning took on the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
Luckily for Maroon, the two will have the chance to go for Round 2 when Montreal takes on the Blackhawks on January 3.
And as for who the top sparring partner in the entire league is, Maroon claims that honour belongs to Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno.
“I would say, the toughest guy, pound-for-pound right now… Marcus Foligno. He’s nails.”
The full podcast is available below: