
In the heart of New York City, under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils kicked off Wednesday night’s game in an eruption of fists and fury. Ten players, five from each side, were engaged in an all-out brawl seconds after the opening faceoff.
Front and center in the chaos was Rangers’ forward Matt Rempe, trading blows with the Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid. These two were not strangers to confrontation. Just a month back, during the Devils’ last visit to the Garden, Rempe declined MacDermid’s invite to combat. As that night progressed, however, Rempe’s high elbow swing took Devils’ defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler out of the game, an offense that earned Rempe a four-game suspension.
On this new battlefront, Rempe and MacDermid engaged in a dance of domination at center ice, continuing their duel longer than the four other pairs locked in combat. Roughly two seconds into the game, game misconducts were doled out to four players from each team.
Speaking after the game, MacDermid spoke of his respect for Rempe, recognising the young player’s ambition. He was filled with team pride, complimenting their unity and solidarity on the ice.
The brawl also saw the ejection of several players besides Rempe. Rangers’ defensemen Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller were escorted off the ice, as well as forward Barclay Goodrow. The Devils lost defensemen Kevin Bahl and John Marino to ejections, while forwards Chris Tierney and MacDermid made similarly premature departures.
Despite the turbulent start, the Rangers claimed a 4-3 victory, courtesy of a late power-play goal by Chris Kreider.
The unexpected brawl took everyone by surprise, including MacDermid. Simultaneous fights added to the chaos, with matchups between Miller and Marino, Trouba and Tierney, and Goodrow and Bahl. Rangers’ forward Jimmy Vesey and Devils’ Curtis Lazar completed the frenzy, although they remained in the game as their penalties didn’t warrant additional sanctions.
The intense start to the game baffled not just the viewers, but also Devils’ interim head coach Travis Green. His confrontation with Rangers coach Peter Laviolette added more fuel to the spectacular showdown. Green was puzzled by Laviolette’s ire, considering the Rangers’ players were the instigators of the pre-game fights. Green, however, saw the fights as a response to Rempe’s high elbow swing in the previous game.
All brawling players received five-minute fighting penalties. Adding to the drama, the Rangers’ Will Cuylle faced off with the Devils’ Dawson Mercer four minutes into the first period, following Cuylle’s hit on Brendan Smith.
Attempting to offer insight into the thrilling spectacle, Laviolette said it was merely players demonstrating fierce loyalty and raw emotion for their teammates.