Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews drops the gloves with longtime nemesis Ryan Kesler

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Perhaps the most surprising thing about the big brawl between Jonathan Toews and Ryan Kesler eight seconds into the second period Sunday afternoon was that it took so long for it to happen.

The mutual dislike has been bubbling since the days of the Canucks-Blackhawks rivalry at the start of the decade, continued through two Olympics and came to a head during the 2015 Western Conference final. It finally boiled over.

“I guess you could say [it’s been brewing for] a while,” Toews said with a grin. “He’s probably been the one who’s been trying to nudge me in that direction for a while, so I finally gave in.”

It was a spirited bout, not the clutch-fest that usually happen when stars fight. They each got in a few big blows before Kesler wrestled Toews to the ice. Toews was perhaps motivated to finally oblige Kesler because the Hawks were trailing 2-0 and in need of a jolt. It didn’t exactly work, as the Ducks scored two quick goals afterward.

“Jonny did a good job,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Sparked the team. It wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard, but you could see that there was some energy as the period progressed, and some enthusiasm. It gave us a chance.”

Said Nick Schmaltz: “That got us going pretty good. Fired up the bench to see your leader — and obviously one of our best players — do that and get us going there. That shows a lot about him.”

Bittersweet milestone

Schmaltz scored two goals, giving him 20 in 62 games. He had just six in 61 games last season. He only wished the milestone had come in a winning effort.

“Obviously, you want to score goals when they mean a lot and they help your team get a point or get a win,” he said.

Off the hook

Anthony Duclair took a foolish slashing penalty just 1:54 into the game, and the Ducks scored on the ensuing power play. But unlike Ryan Hartman’s high-sticking penalty in Columbus that negated a Hawks 2-on-1 and led to a goal-against, Duclair wasn’t benched afterward. He wound up with six shot attempts in 13:14 of ice time.

Quenneville didn’t seem to think the penalty was egregious as Hartman’s was.

“You could argue on the call,” Quenneville said. “It was a different call.”

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Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com