‘I’m getting a little older’: Former Leafs enforcer Reaves suffers knockdown loss in spirited fight
Posted January 7, 2026 11:34 am.
Last Updated January 7, 2026 11:35 am.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves suffered a rare knockdown loss in a spirited fight with Blue Jackets bruiser Mathieu Olivier on Tuesday night.
And while the always-popular Reaves gave a respectful nod to his opponent, he hinted that the real winner of the fight was the undefeated Father Time.
“I’m 38,” the aging San Jose brawler stated after the game. “I’m getting a little older. Eventually I was gonna get caught — today was the day. We will get him back next time.”
MATHIEU OLIVIER TAKES DOWN RYAN REAVES
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 7, 2026
WHAT A FIGHT pic.twitter.com/IZ1VRNemVp
Reaves and Olivier dropped the gloves and squared off in the dying seconds of the second period, exchanging furious right hands until Olivier nailed a helmet-less Reaves in the side of head, knocking the discombobulated Shark to the ice.
A wobbly Reaves headed straight to the dressing room, but returned in the third period after undergoing concussion-protocol testing.
Ryan Reaves says tonight was the first time he's been "caught" in a fight pic.twitter.com/1mAgMLcmHM
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) January 7, 2026
“I had to memorize some words, cotton, honey, arrow I think was there,” he told reporters after the game. “The months of the year backwards. I had to do some numbers games, some balance stuff, I passed with flying colours.”
Reaves, who played two unremarkable seasons in Toronto, called Olivier “one of the toughest in the league” and said it was “the first time I’ve been caught and knocked down like that” over his long career.
The Sharks acquired Reaves from the Leafs in a summer trade for defenseman Henry Thrun.
