In a regular-season Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) clash, CSKA Moscow defenseman Artem Barabosha and Ekaterinburg Avtomobilist forward Brooks Macek tangled on the ice. The 19-year-old Barabosha challenged the 31-year-old German after a collision, and the two dropped their gloves as tempers flared. The fight ended with Barabosha appearing to gain an edge as blows were exchanged, drawing a crowd around the ice until officials stepped in to separate the players. Footage of the incident has been circulated via the league’s official channels.
Both players received five-minute penalties for fighting, with Barabosha also assessed a two-minute minor for tripping that came earlier or during the sequence. The penalties were part of a tightly contested game that featured several physical exchanges and momentum swings.
The match took place at Uralets Stadium in Yekaterinburg, with Avtomobilist edging CSKA 3-2. Brooks Macek, Andrey Obidin, and Denis Barantsev found the back of the net for the home side, while Vladislav Kamenev and Konstantin Okulov scored for the visitors. The result helped Avtomobilist hold firm in the East standings, while CSKA remained positioned in the Western Conference but suffered a setback to their point total.
CSKA Moscow, currently in seventh place in the Western Conference with 56 points, faced its second straight defeat, while Avtomobilist climbed to fourth in the East with 64 points. The game was part of a busy stretch in a season noted for tight playoff races and intense cross-conference matchups.
Earlier in the season, the BAZA Telegram channel reported that 37 players within the Salavat Yulaev system were implicated in doping findings, a development that drew scrutiny across the league and sparked discussions about testing, oversight, and player health. This broader context underscores the ongoing efforts by the league to monitor competitive integrity and ensure fair play across clubs.