Islanders' Zdeno Chara beats Flyers' Zack MacEwen in fight, then asks if he's fine

New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara, the NHL's oldest player at 44, had his first fight in the league in 1997 when the Philadelphia Flyers' Zack MacEwen was 1.

The 6-foot-9 Chara is also the tallest player in the league and has a big height advantage over the 6-3 MacEwen.

Chara objected to a MacEwen hit that knocked off the helmet of the Islanders' Scott Mayfield and challenged the Flyers forward. MacEwen, who had 10 previous NHL regular-season fights, accepted.

The fight went as expected with Chara using his longer arms to mostly fend off MacEwen, then felling him with a hard uppercut.

WILLIE O'REE:NHL pioneer 'overwhelmed' as Bruins retire No. 22 jersey

ALL-STAR GAME:Lightning's Steven Stamkos among four players voted in

But Chara has also been around long enough to know all about sportsmanship.

After the linesmen stepped in, Chara made sure to ask if MacEwen was OK.

Chara, playing in his 24th season, needs 15 games to pass Chris Chelios' longevity record for a defenseman (1,651).