The longstanding animosity between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils has reached new heights this season.
The tension erupted into a 5-on-5 line brawl at the start of Wednesday’s game, resulting in the ejection of eight players.
Anticipation for the clashes was high, especially with Rangers rookie enforcer Matt Rempe and Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid both in the starting lineup, having squared off in their previous encounter.
The chaotic scene unfolded as all ten skaters on the ice engaged in fights right at puck drop.
RELATED: Man Shoots Hockey Puck At Beer Can On Friend’s Head
Massive Ejections
Eight players were swiftly ejected: Matt Rempe, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, and Barclay Goodrow for the Rangers, and Chris Tierney, John Marino, Kurtis MacDermid, and Kevin Bahl for the Devils.
Additionally, all eight received fighting majors just two seconds into the game.
Rangers’ forward Jimmy Vesey and Devils’ forward Curtis Lazar also received fighting majors but remain eligible to continue playing.
Debuting during the “Stadium Series” in February, Matt Rempe’s NHL career has showed consistent involvement in fights.
Rempe’s ejections from all three games against the Devils highlight his contentious history with the team, as reported by Fox News.
His very first game even commenced with a brawl.
Luckily, the refs were able to finally break up Rempe and MacDermid once the players had tired themselves out.
Coaches Join In
Shortly after the players’ brawl, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette and Devils interim coach Travis Green wasted no time in joining the fight, exchanging heated words and gestures on the bench. Viewers witnessed both coaches passionately cursing and yelling at each other during the broadcast.
The enduring rivalry between the two teams shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. In fact, Laviolette’s remarks during Tuesday’s practice seemed to foreshadow the chaos that was about to ensue.
Laviolette told the New York Post, “We gotta win. The division games are always, I think, a little bit more competitive. When you play inside your division more than you do anyone else, there’s probably a little bit more tension inside those games.”
According to Collin Rugg with Trending Politics, “the fight apparently stemmed from an incident earlier in the month when Rangers rookie Matt Rempe hit Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler with an elbow.”
Watch the shocking fight below!
JUST IN: 8 skaters ejected after a massive fight breaks out between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
This is insane.
Immediately after the game started, all 10 skaters started brawling.
The fight apparently stemmed from an incident earlier in the month when Rangers… pic.twitter.com/R7aPVQDrSa
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 4, 2024
See an aerial view of the game-opening grudge match below.