There was no shortage of nastiness in last night’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators, and things really boiled over when Rob Davison of the Canucks caught Scott Nichol with a hard clean hit in front of the Canucks bench. Davison got such a good piece of Nichol that he almost went flying into his own bench. Nichol was on his hands and knees on the ice for several seconds before finally struggling woozily to his feet. A large scrum ensued that culminated in a scrap between Jason Jaffray of the Canucks and Rich Peverley of the Predators.

Tempers were high throughout the remainder of the game, and the intensity of the rivalry between these two teams should ensure that the rematch on New Years day should enjoy a wide viewership. Here is the video clip of Davison’s big hit on Nichol: