Its better to fight for a reason instead of two guys randomly deciding to have a superfluous fight just because they're out there. That part of the game has been mostly removed. But if you're going to deliver a hit like that (and I think it was a perfectly clean hit), you need to expect that there'll be a reaction. As it turns out, Kronwall had the beastly Dylan Larkin do his dirty work for him.
JMO, if you are going to be a guy who dishes it out like Kronwall, you should be willing to answer the bell occasionally. I feel the same way about Clutterbuck. He dishes out some big hits, he shouldn't be hiding behind Matt Martin or just skating away when someone steps up to him every single time. I'm not saying they has to answer the bell against Ryan Reaves or Ross Johnston, but in this instance it was Josh Freaking Bailey - hardly the toughest guy....in the Bailey household even. If you take out the other team's Captain in such devastating fashion (and it was a great hit), there's gonna be some retribution.
As far as Boychuk/Abdelkader....those two just don't like each other. They had a front (and back) of the net battle last year that had some real back and forth including a slew foot from Abdelkader. Boychuk doesn't get angry often but he was incensed. By the looks of things from this past weekend, he hasn't gotten over it.
This Saturday should be a fun game.
That hit was so textbook it'll be in how-to videos for the next 20 years on how to throw a perfect body check
