Darren McCarty celebrates the 26 year anniversary of “Fight Night at the Joe.”

It's hard to believe it's been 26 years since one of the most memorable nights in National Hockey League history, a night that is forever etched into the hearts and minds of those who witnessed it.

Today marks the 26 year anniversary of what former Detroit Red Wings enforcer Darren McCarty likes to call, Fight Night at the Joe, although he does have some more colorful names for the fateful night as well.

The night was March 26th in 1997 and the Detroit Red Wings were taking on the Colorado Avalanche in what should have otherwise been a fairly typical regular season game between the two bitter rivals. Although the game is viewed as retaliation on the part of the Red Wings for a hit from Colorado Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux during the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs that seriously injured Red Wings forward Kris Draper, the Red Wings had already had plenty of opportunity for revenge. 

The teams had met several times during the regular season following the now infamous Lemieux-Draper incident but for whatever reason, things truly boiled over in the fourth meeting of the regular season between the Red Wings and the Avalanche.

It would be a fight between Red Wings forward Igor Larionov and Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg that lit the fuse for the brawl that would come, but it would be the actions of the aforementioned Darren McCarty that truly made things explode. McCarty would extract a measure of revenge on Lemieux by unloading a barrage of punishment on the Avalanche forward, starting by dropping Lemieux with a devastating punch to the head. That would be followed by a barrage of punishment as Lemieux turtled on the ice, including a vicious knee to the head before the NHL officials were able to peel McCarty away.

Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy would attempt to come to the aid of Lemieux, only to be intercepted by a charging Brendan Shanahan, with the Red Wings forward getting the better of that collision. Roy would then pair off with Red Wings goaltender Mike Vernon in one of the most epic goalie fights in NHL history.

It was pandemonium at Joe Louis Arena, and although it has been 26 years it is still fresh in the mind of many hockey fans around the world.