Epic On-Ice Melee: Rangers and Devils Clash in Opening-Faceoff Brawl in NHL Game

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024

In a game that quickly escalated, all 10 skaters from the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils were involved in a fight right after the game began.

At the heart of the altercation stood Rangers' Matt Rempe and Devils' Kurtis MacDermid, who had a history of conflict. Their fight was notably lengthy, outlasting the other skirmishes and was centered at the ice after the others had ceased.

The aftermath saw eight players, including Rempe, Jacob Trouba, K'Andre Miller, Barclay Goodrow, Kevin Bahl, John Marino, Chris Tierney, and MacDermid, receiving ejections and game misconduct penalties.

MacDermid praised the team's solidarity during the conflict, emphasizing the importance of supporting one another.

Despite the melee, goalies Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers and Kaapo Kahkonen of the Devils were not ejected and continued in the game.

The Rangers clinched a 4-3 victory, thanks to a late power-play goal scored by Chris Kreider.

MacDermid expressed surprise at the outbreak of the five simultaneous fights, indicating it wasn't a premeditated event.

Following the uproar, an exchange of remarks occurred between Devils interim coach Travis Green and Rangers coach Peter Laviolette.

All players who participated in the initial fight were penalized with five-minute fighting penalties.

Another fight broke out later in the first period, this time between Will Cuylle and Dawson Mercer.

Laviolette attributed his emotional reaction to the heated situation to the fierce camaraderie and effort displayed by his team.

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