Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves had made an equipment change after his fight with Nic Deslauriers this week.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves found himself in a situation this week he's never been in before.
During his fight with Nic Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan Reaves was accidentally poked in the eye and on Friday, made a significant change to his equipment at practice by sporting a visor.
"Ryan Reaves back on the ice ahead of Leafs practice
Missed Wednesday's game after taking a finger to the eye in the fight with Nicolas Deslauriers
After practice, Reaves met with reporters and said that he's never been poked in the eye during a fight in his career so far and that Nic Deslauriers reached out following the game to apologize.
"Reaves says this is the first time he's taken a finger to the eye in a fight
"It was weird ... I threw one more & thought I could blink it off & I looked & I saw four or five of him. I'm not LeBron, I can't aim at the middle"
Deslauriers apologized after the game"
It'll be interesting to see if being poked in the eye by Deslauriers will make Reaves hesitant to drop the mitts over the next little while. But if the opportunity arises, Reaves won't back down from a challenge.
Reaves and the Maple Leafs will be back in action on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers on Hockey Night in Canada.