Last night, we saw what happens when two former teammates play each other in a heated rivalry like the Battle of Pennsylvania.
There was absolutely no love loss between Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Simon Benoit. The two spent parts of three seasons as teammates with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but last night, Robertson crushed Benoit into the boards from behind, and chaos ensued.
From friends to foes
Whenever these teams meet, there always tends to be some type of intensity that boils over. It was the last thing last night; right from the warmups, there was a feeling that this game could eventually get out of hand.
It was just past halfway into the second period with the Penguins winning 5-0 over the Flyers when Benoit was going back into his own zone to play the puck. At that time, Robertson was forechecking hard behind him, and when the puck got closer to the corner, Robertson hit Benoit from behind into the glass. It was a questionable hit considering the position that he was in, but regardless, it caught the ire of the Flyers players and quickly became a huge scrum.
The good news is Benoit was quick to get up and join the chaos, so there was no cause for concern for his health. The other key takeaway, despite an ugly outcome on the scoreboard, was how fast the Flyers players rushed to their new defensemen's aid. Right away, there were numerous players tackling Robertson to the ice, including Benoit himself.
The scrum saw the likes of Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Matvei Michkov, among others who aren't known for that style of player. Unfortunately, that doesn't matter when it comes to the Battle of Pennsylvania. This is one of the toughest, most physical rivalries in all of sports; the two teams hate each other, and it shows each and every time they play.
Nick Robertson with a HARD hit on former Leafs teammate Simon Benoit and the Flyers take exception 😳👀 pic.twitter.com/S3va0T9XFy
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 1, 2026
There was no penalty on the play initially; however, after all the chaos, there were some calls. Robertson got a two-minute minor for boarding on Benoit. Benoit was assessed a two-minute roughing penalty for two minutes for roughing on Robertson, and Declan Carlile was assessed a two-minute roughing penalty as well.
Flyers lost the game, but they won the battle on the ice and showed that they aren't going to be pushed around. Which is exactly what you want to see as a fan when you go watch the Flyers hockey.
Unfortunately, the game got away from the Flyers, and they lost 7-0 to the Penguins. However, that was only the first of four games between the two. Their next three games are on January 31st, March 30th, and April 3rd. And, if any of those games are like the first game of the season, fans of the Battle of Pennsylvania are in for a fun season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google