Photo credit: Sportsnet

Tyler Bertuzzi may not be with the Maple Leafs any longer, but he’s still as feisty as ever, triggering a line brawl for the Blackhawks in defense of a teammate.

Right up until the late stages of June, it was believed that the Maple Leafs and Tyler Bertuzzi would get something done to keep the pestering winger in Toronto. Unfortunately, once Max Domi was extended for 4 years at $3.75M, it became pretty clear before the start of free agency that there wasn’t a lot of money left to go around and that Bertuzzi would likely be on his way out on July 1st.

Bertuzzi ended up inking a deal with the Blackhawks that will keep him in Chicago through 2027-28, and last night, he gave fans at United Center their money’s worth in the 3rd period, going after Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs following a thunderous hit on his Hawks teammate Philipp Kurashev.

For all the gloves and sticks that went flying, it surprisingly didn’t take officials too long to regain order in the game. For his involvement, Bertuzzi received only a 2-minute minor for roughing.

Bertuzzi has always had that element of sandpaper to his game. Perhaps you’ll recall this epic fight with Boston’s Parker Wotherspoon last season, where Bertuzzi landed a series of heavy haymakers, bringing fans to their feet.

I know his tenure in Toronto was short and probably underwhelming to some, but I miss Bertuzzi in a big way. I loved the chip on his shoulder that he played with and will always ponder what it would have been like to see Bertuzzi play on a Craig Berube coached Maple Leafs team. God, that would have been so much fun to watch.