Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews described his  physical altercation with defenceman Duncan Keith during Tuesday's practice as "just some friendly wrestling."

Toews had Keith pinned down to the ice at one point during the incident, which was witnessed by multiple members of the media, before it was broken up by assistant coach Sheldon Brookbank. The team's session continued afterwards. 

"Just some friendly wrestling. ... That's the whole point of a morning skate, to get you ready for the game. We're ready now," Toews told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.

Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner responded to a tweet by Lazerus on the incident posting, "I love it!! Good for them. Brothers love#onegoal."

"You got a brother? I do, too. And I've got two boys at home. I've seen that movie before," head coach Jeremy Colliton said of the incident after the team's skate.

Toews and Keith have been teammates since Toews made his Blackhawks debut in 2007 and have won three Stanley Cup together, along with Olympic gold with Team Canada in both 2010 and 2014.

The Blackhawks, who have won five straight games, will host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.