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.