Its one of the classic old-time codes in hockey - that enforcers fight the enforcers. Matt Carpenter Jersey . The enforcers protect the skill players. The enforcers dont usually get mixed up with the skill guys. And yet on Sunday night in Toronto, Buffalo Sabres tough guy John Scott and Maple Leafs star forward Phil Kessel hooked up in a battle of words that sparked a fight between them - and a line brawl around them. Scott dropped his gloves and Kessel retreated while swinging his stick at the same time. When it was all said and done, Scott received an instigator penalty along with five minutes for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct. Kessel received a match penalty for attempt to injure. Most would not support Kessels use of his stick as a weapon, but did Scott break the fighting code in the first place? Kessel is eight inches shorter and 68 pounds lighter than Scott, who is listed at 68" and 270 lbs. "It was pretty stupid, right? He said he was going to jump me...I just backed up," explained Kessel afterwards. "What are you going to do? Hes a big boy, so if hes coming after me, what am I going to do, right?" Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle had noted the escalation in tempers as moments earlier, Torontos 65", 217 lb. Jamie Devane knocked 60", 185 lb. forward Corey Tropp of the Sabres unconscious. "I tried to defuse the situation by putting Kessel, Bozak, and Ashton on the ice (against Scotts line), feeling that there was no threat to something and more carrying on, but obviously I was wrong," said Carlyle. In the shadow of the Kessel-Scott battle, nearly every player on the ice was tagged with either fighting majors or misconducts - and even goalies Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Miller dropped the gloves. Which led to coach Carlyle being asked about the rare sight of the goaltenders mixing it up. "Emotions run high in those situations," he said. "Its hard to pull somebody back...I dont know...if one guy initiates it its that code of honour, its happened before." Hockeys code was followed again on Sunday night, but did Buffalos John Scott break it by going after Torontos star forward? Its Your! Call. Chris Carpenter Jersey .com) - St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury have been selected as the NHLs top players for last week. St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . has left the San Jose Sharks to become the Boston Bruins director of player personnel. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-mike-shannon-jersey/ . -- Coyotes coach Dave Tippett thinks of one thing when he watches Eastern Conference teams struggle against Western opponents before they get to Phoenix: His team must keep pace.The subject of the NHLs participation in future Olympic Games came up at a join media conference Tuesday in Sochi featuring NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr and IIHF president Rene Fasel. The NHL has not committed to sending players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman continued to throw his support behind the NHLs participation in the Olympics when asked about it in a press conference last week. But, as expected, Bettman said this will be something addressed down the road. "The primary building blocks are logistics of travel, to and from the Olympics," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said afterwards. "It was a big challenge coming to Sochi and it certainly would be a big challenge if we were to go to South Korea. Player insurance is always a factor with the magnitude and length of player contracts these days, an incredible number of assets at risk. "So those were two of the most fundamental things we talked about." Daly added that the NHLs participation this time was helped by the fact that NHL broadcasters CBC and NBC also were Olympic rights holders. But the rights holders have yet to be determined for 2018. "So we havent really given any serious consideration to South Korea at all," Daly said. The players will have a big say on this issue. Fehr promised a full and thorough investigation as to whether continued Olympic participation is what the playerrs want. Mark McGwire Jersey. The NHL players volition to compete in the Olympics has been the main driving force behind their participation in the Winter Games. World Cup closer to return Fehr hinted that the two sides are closer to announcing details on a World Cup of Hockey. There hasnt been one played since 2004 and the speculation continues to be the next World Cup could happen as soon as 2016. There was the usual playfulness between Bettman and Fasel. At one point Fasel said there is nothing like seeing the smile of a hockey player when he wins a gold medal. To which Bettman was quick to reply, "Except winning the Stanley Cup." Finally, Daly was asked about expansion. There was a recent newspaper story in Seattle that said the NHL has targeted the city for an expansion team. "I think whenever Im asked that question, I make the same comments," he said. "The Pacific Northwest, we think is a good hockey area. I think the Vancouver Canucks have done extraordinarily well in developing that area as a good hockey market. Doesnt mean were going to expand there, doesnt mean weve made any decisions in that regard. "I said the same thing about Quebec City. I also believe its a very good hockey market with a very strong and passionate fan base. So theres nothing more I can say on expansion than we did [at the NHL Board of Governors meetings] in Pebble Beach, which is at some point in time it might be an appropriate consideration for us to bring to the board. But we havent reached that yet." ' ' '