Most hockey fights occur because somebody lands a cheap shot or says something as tempers flare during the game. As for the 1987 Flyers and Canadiens?
Almost 100 percent of the time, or, better yet, 99.9 percent of the time, fights happen at some point during the game. But for the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens? They couldn't even wait for the puck to drop during a pivotal playoff game all the way back in 1987.
And yeah, you read that right: An incident before the puck even dropped caused one of the most notorious moments in the history of the Flyers and Canadiens franchises.