January Was Physical: The Best NHL Hits of 2026

January was a month where the NHL turned physical — heavy open-ice collisions, bench-rattling hits, and stars giving and receiving punishment all month long. 💥 Justin Sourdif smokes Thomas Chabot 🚧 J.J. Moser decks young star Macklin Celebrini 🔥 Brady Tkachuk punishes Axel Sandin-Pellikka 🚨 Garnet Hathaway finishes Olen Zellweger with authority — “Wow, what a hit!” 🧱 Alexander Nikishin lowers the boom on Adam Erne 🎳 Peyton Krebs sends two Canucks to the ice — “Bowling for Canucks!” 💥 Jonathan Aspirot launches Joel Farabee into the bench 🚀 Braden Schneider lines up Peyton Krebs — “Here he comes… BOOM!” 🔥 Justin Sourdif strikes again, crushing Oliver Moore 💪 Brandon Carlo delivers a heavy hit on Jake DeBrusk 🧱 Marcus Foligno makes multiple appearances — never shy about the physical game 🚧 Brayden Pachal drills Yegor Chinakhov, then Kris Letang answers by lowering the boom on Adam Klapka 💥 Alex Ovechkin throws several sturdy hits throughout the month 🧱 Kevin Bahl delivers a Rob Blake–style hit on Oliver Moore 🔥 Denver Barkey meets the shoulder of Blake Lizotte 🚨 Beck Malenstyn levels Kirill Kaprizov and later crushes Troy Stecher 💥 Jeremy Lauzon puts Jonathan Marchessault into the bench — then shoves down David Pastrňák 🧱 Vincent Desharnais flattens Matthew Tkachuk — shoulder to shoulder — later dubbed “the human eclipse” 🔥 Josh Manson and Martin Fehérváry collide in a #42 showdown 💥 Simon Benoit levels Lucas Raymond 🚨 Andrei Svechnikov drills Frank Nazar 💪 Joel Eriksson Ek gets a piece of Patrick Kane 🔥 Brady Tkachuk returns with a heavy hit on Jordan Staal 🚀 Jackson LaCombe floors Marcus Janmark at center ice 💥 Josh Manson and Taylor Kleven exchange booming hits 🧱 Kaiden Guhle collides with Arturi Lehkonen 🚨 Beck Malenstyn caps the month with a hit on Will Carrier This is the Best Hits of January 2026 — longer, heavier, and packed with the moments that defined the month. #NHL #Hockey #sports #NHLHits #NHLHighlights #Sports