Royal Oak Bar To Host McCarty, Lemieux In 'Fight Night Reloaded'

ROYAL OAK, MI — A Royal Oak bar will host a Saturday watch party with NHL legends Darren McCarty and Claude Lemieux to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Fight Night at The Joe."

The popular Detroit Red Wings enforcer and former Colorado Avalanche goalscorer will be together at the Fifth Avenue bar, where fans can join the hockey legends to watch a replay of the famous March 26, 1997, Avalanche-Red Wings game.

McCarty and Lemieux will also sign autographs, as well as partaking in a question-and-answer event from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets to "Fight Night Reloaded" are $50 and fans can purchase them here.

The iconic game was a year in making after Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux checked Red Wings forward Kris Draper from behind, smashing his face into the boards during Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference Finals. Draper was immediately taking off the ice and ultimately needed reconstructive facial surgery.

Leading up to the March 26, 1997 game, Red Wings forward Darren McCarty famously called Lemieux "gutless," and Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman said until someone goes after Lemieux, the hit on Draper will not go away. It's quite synonymous that hockey players have long memories.

Bad-blood was expected in the game.

Almost right away, multiple fights broke out between the two teams, as players furiously crashed into each other. As Colorado took a 1-0 lead late into the first period, a fight broke out between Peter Forsberg and Igor Larionov, stopping play. That's when McCarty checked Lemieux, dropping him down to the ice.

McCarty then relentlessly began punching Lemieux in the face, as Lemieux famously curled up into a "turtle" portion, trying to protect himself from McCarty's lefts. At that exact same moment, each starting goaltenders race toward each other and collided at center ice.

Joe Louis Area roaring as Lemieux was taken off the ice with a bloody face, and Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy and Red Wings goaltender Mike Vernon were swinging at each other. Several more fights broke out throughout the game, including when Avalanche forward went after McCarty in the second period.

As the Red Wings and Avalanche went back and forth, the game went into overtime tied at five, before none other than McCarty scored the game winner for the Red Wings, sending Joe Louis area into a frenzy.

Although the defending Stanley Cup champion Avanlahce won the league's president's trophy by earring the most points in the season, the Red Wings defeated them four games to two in the 1997 Western Conference Finals, en route to their first Stanley Cup in 42 years.

Overall, "Fight Night at The Joe" is often looked upon as a defining moment of NHL history, since free agency and salary cup restrictions progress player movement, making for less fierce NHL rivalries.