The ref was in there when Holtby was pulling away, implying he didn't want to fight. However, the ref let them go as soon as they both pulled the others helmet off. The moment Holtby pulls the helmet off Emery, the ref lets up and lets them fight. Holtby proceeds to throw two punches with his blocker, which is a pretty dirty move.
All of the above is fine because Holtby made the decision to take the helmet off and throw punches at Emery. Where it gets messy is when Holtby gets turned around. I think the ref should be in there immediately to stop them because the fight is now over. I also think that Emery should have some respect for Holtby and stop throwing cheap shots when the fight is clearly done.
The only justification I can think of for Emery is that he was done fighting clean when Holtby threw those punches with the blocker. That's still no excuse to repeatedly punch a defenseless player and I would definitely be in favor of a one or two game suspension. If Emery stops punching when Holtby is turned around, this fight is no big deal.
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