Darren McCarty Jokes He Could Get Along With Old Rival Claude Lemieux In Wrestling

Retired NHL player Darren McCarty was no stranger to fights throughout his hockey career, and now that the Stanley Cup winner has made the move into wrestling, he might be open to reigniting some feuds from his NHL days. Appearing on "Busted Open Radio," McCarty responded to a question from host Bully Ray, confirming that he'd be able to put his differences aside to work with former rival Claude Lemieux.

"Absolutely. Hundred percent," McCarty said. "For the business, buddy? Can we do good business? I can do good business." The retired NHL star said it didn't matter if they got along in real life or not, and joked to Ray that nobody liked him and he seemed to be doing just fine in wrestling.

Lemieux, like McCarty, was a part of the infamous "Fight Night at the Joe," referring to a particularly nasty team-wide brawl at the Detroit Red Wings' Joe Louis Arena on March 26, 1997. The fight involved Lemieux's team, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Red Wings, with the entire brawl stemming from a hit by Lemieux during a Red Wings-Avalanche playoff game from the previous year. At one point during the March 26 game, McCarty seized an opportunity to get some payback from Lemieux, and a chaotic melee broke out between the two teams.

McCarty spent the majority of his NHL career with the Red Wings, contributing to successful Stanley Cup campaigns in 1997, 1998, 2002, and at the end of his career in 2009. Since retiring from hockey in 2009, McCarty has worked as a broadcaster as well as moving into the cannabis industry in 2020. The former Red Wing began making regular appearances at Michigan independent promotion ICW No Holds Barred in 2021, and McCarty has now become involved in Impact Wrestling.