Today the NHL's Department of Player Safety has handed down a punishment to Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj for his fight with Cedric Pare. Last night the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs game descended into madness quickly. It began with a knee-on-knee hit by Cedric Pare to Canadiens forward Patrik Laine. The hit took Patrik Laine out of the game due to injury. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/spittinchiclets/status/1840169317993795835'> </a></blockquote></div> Patrik Laine would be forced to leave the arena on crutches. He was supposed to be a major part of the success of the Canadiens this season. After the crushing loss of this injury, the Canadiens were looking to get even with Cedric Pare and the Maple Leafs. The Montreal Canadiens were furious about the play that they deemed to be a dirty hit. As a result, defenseman Arber Xhekaj decided to take justice into his own hands and fought Cedric Pare for injuring his teammate. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/GinoHard_/status/1840175031478816830'> </a></blockquote></div> As can be seen in the video Arber Xhekaj begins to fight Cedric Pare without challenging him or asking him first. This has now led to a major punishment for Arber Xhekaj. <h3>Arber Xhekaj handed the maximum punishment for his fight with Cedric Pare</h3> This morning a new report has confirmed that Arber Xhekaj has been punished for his role in last night's chaos. According to the reports, Arber Xhekaj has been fined $3,385.42 which is the maximum allowed under the CBA. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/status/1840426721327411304'> </a></blockquote></div> As of now, the initial hit by Cedric Pare has not been punished by the NHL's Department of Player Safety. As more information comes out regarding this situation and the backlash from the decision to find Arber Xhekaj we will pass it along to you.