Jeffrey Viel refused to fight Arber Xhekaj and Josh Anderson: his agent explains

Yesterday, Kirby Dach was tackled. He got injured.

This is a big deal for two reasons. First, because it casts even more doubt on Kirby Dach's ability to stay healthy and make an impact with the Canadiens.
It's a big topic of discussion this morning.
But secondly, it's a story because Jeffrey Viel, after tackling Kirby Dach, didn't get into a fight. He refused to get into a scuffle with Arber Xhekaj and Josh Anderson.
That upset a lot of people.

Kirby Dach left for the dressing room after taking a hit from Jeffrey Viel. pic.twitter.com/zGYapPnAtf
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 15, 2026

Marc Lavigne, who represents Viel as his agent, was at yesterday's game at the Bell Centre. He spoke with his client after the game, and there's a reason why Viel didn't drop the gloves.
Journalist Kevin Dubé covered the story in an article on the subject. The Quebec native explained to the Habs players that he wanted to fight, but couldn't.
Q “He has a minor hand injury and it's pretty swollen. That's why he didn't fight.” — Marc LavigneQ
I don't know if the Habs guys bought that, but whatever. After all, Arber Xhekaj is scary on the ice…

Of course, there will still be criticism directed at Viel. “If he's capable of playing and causing trouble, he should be able to fight” is a comment I heard.

The fact that the Ducks player is from Quebec doesn't help him. Naturally, this will mean that criticism of him will be even harsher from Habs fans.
And we all agree that, given the hit on Kirby Dach, Viel isn't entirely blameless.

In a nutshell– That's got people talking.

We'll be hearing about this for a long time. https://t.co/jr7sLCjS1E
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 16, 2026
— Must listen.

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