The Mammoth’s most physical game of 2026 was a doozy

Utah Mammoth left wing Brandon Tanev (13) fights with Washington Capitals left wing Brandon Duhaime (22) in front of the Utah Mammoth bench during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 26, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News Rodney Dangerfield once gave a quote that perfectly characterizes Thursday’s game between the Utah Mammoth and the Washington Capitals at the Delta Center. “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out,” he said.

On Thursday, Washington’s Tom Wilson set a new career high in single-game penalty minutes with 21. He’s known as one of the most physical players in the NHL, and he has more than 1,600 penalty minutes to show for it in his 897 NHL games — and this was the game that fired him up enough the most. Utah’s Brandon Tanev also set a career high with 17 penalty minutes, and Lawson “ The Sheriff ” Crouse had 17 for his second-highest PIM game ever.

But Mammoth head coach André Tourigny was frustrated with the lack of discipline with his group in the 7-4 loss. Crouse got the extra penalty in fight with Wilson, which resulted in the Capitals’ go-ahead goal, and the Mammoth never got the lead back. “(I’m) disappointed in how we controlled our emotions,” Tourigny said.

“I’m a big believer in team toughness and showing up for your teammates and stuff like that, but there’s a way to do it, and the more important thing is that we got carried away emotionally. “It’s part of the game, but you need to stay composed and you need to keep playing. ” It all stemmed from a hit Tanev laid on Matt Roy — directly from behind.