Well, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils proved on Wednesday night that they really do not like each other.
Right as the puck dropped at Madison Square Garden for the late-season battle, the gloves came off as a five-on-five line brawl erupted on the ice.
Literally, all of the Rangers and Devils players just started going at it in a fight. The second the puck hit the ice, absolute mayhem broke loose.
It got so bad that this opening brouhaha sparked eight ejections and an actual shouting match between Rangers coach Peter Laviolette and Devils interim coach Travis Green.
Fighting is a part of hockey, but whatever in the world sparked this had to run deeper than a typical scrap between two players. This got ugly fast.
A FULL ON 5v5 LINE BRAWL TO START THE GAME 😱
CHAOS AT MSG ‼️ pic.twitter.com/k95BsP34xA
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 3, 2024
Here’s the #NJDevils and #NYR line brawl. pic.twitter.com/An1G063Brr
— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovo62) April 3, 2024
NOW LAVIOLETTE AND GREEN ARE GETTING AT IT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/z3V9tsoQU3
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 3, 2024
EIGHT OF THE PLAYERS INVOLVED HAVE BEEN EJECTED FROM THE GAME 😱 pic.twitter.com/F1s7CRoX4R
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 3, 2024
The fighting didn’t even stop after that bizarre opening brawl.
CUYLLE AND MERCER ARE GOING AT IT NOW ‼️ pic.twitter.com/lmjrgg2fW9
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 3, 2024
In the first five minutes of the game, a whopping 25 different penalties were assessed between both teams, per SPDN Sports’ Drew Livingstone.
25 different penalties assessed in the first 5 minutes of Devils vs Rangers: pic.twitter.com/s3fkbzIAJM
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) April 3, 2024
NHL.com’s Dan Rosen noted before the game that both teams started their fourth lines, so something had to be up before this even started.
The Devils and Rangers are both starting their 4th lines tonight at MSG. Read into that what you will. And, yes, there's something to read into.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) April 3, 2024
Maybe this is just part of an intense rivalry, but getting into a fight like this literally at the point of puck drop just doesn’t happen every day.
Perhaps it has something to do with the last time these two teams played on March 11, a game where Rangers forward Matt Rempe earned a four-game suspension for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and giving him a concussion.
