Rangers, Devils Players Brawl on the Ice Seconds Into Game
Tensions were high during the opening face off in Wednesday night’s NHL game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers, which saw all ten on-ice skaters brawl mere seconds into play.
Each player received a five-minute fighting penalty, and eight of them—four from each team—were ejected, the Associated Press noted. The fighting pair that engaged first, Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey and Devils center Curtis Lazar, were allowed to remain in the game.
The longest-lasting fight was between New York’s Matt Rempe and the Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid. During the pair’s previous encounter at Madison Square Garden, Rempe turned down MacDermid’s offer to fight, according to the AP. Later in that game, Rempe hit MacDermid’s teammate, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, with a high elbow, leading to a four-game suspension.