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Gudbranson, Martin put acrimony to rest

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There were (actual) pleasantries in lieu of death threats after Erik Gudbranson and Matt Martin settled their dispute with an exchanging of fists Saturday in the highly-anticipated rematch between the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I have a lot of respect for him," Martin said of Gudbranson after Vancouver's shootout win, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

"He wears his heart of his sleeve. He's a guy I'd have in my corner any day."

Instead, the two came out of separate corners. And with a nod of approval, the heavyweights effectively put a stop to the acrimony between the two clubs after combining for 171 penalty minutes in a Maple Leafs win last month.

"I think we kinda both knew it was going to go down at some point," Gudbranson said. "Then it went."

It did appear as though the two were still yapping at one another while serving their five-minute majors, but as Gudbranson explained, the two were actually talking strategy.

"I asked him why I couldn't hold onto his shoulder pads, if he has them sewn shut or something," Gudbranson said. "That was about it."

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