When Boston Bruins players brawled with a New York Rangers fan in 1979 

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jan 25, 2023 06:31 GMT

Boston Bruins players got involved in a fight with New York Rangers fans during a 1979-80 NHL regular season game.

During the 1960s and '70s, the Boston Bruins were regarded as one of the fiercest teams in the league and it came as no surprise that they were involved in a skirmish with opposing fans.

The Bruins faced one of their greatest rivals in the league, the New York Rangers, on December 23, 1979, in a regular-season game. In the waning seconds of the third period, forward Stan Jonathan scored to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead. This proved to be the decisive goal as the Bruins secured the victory at Madison Square Garden.

What happened after the final buzzer was one of the wildest incidents in NHL history.

As players made their way to the dressing rooms, Boston Bruins forward Al Secord got into a fight with New York Rangers forward Ulf Nilson, delivering numerous blows and exchanging heated words. Players from both teams then got involved, attempting to separate the two forwards near the low-level glass rink shield.

Here's a video of the incident:

It was at this point that things escalated. A New York Rangers fan named John Kaptain slammed a program onto Stan Jonathan's head and took his stick.

When Jonathan's teammate Terry O'Reilly saw the incident, he attempted to defend his teammate from the fan, who was still carrying the stick and ready to strike anyone who approached him.

When Peter McNab and Mike Milbury spotted their teammate engaging with a fan, they dashed to the stands as well.

Milbury, considered one of the toughest players at the time, bashed the fan in the face with the same shoe he was wearing. It was a demonstration of the togetherness of the Bruins players and the violence of the NHL.

Gerry Cheevers of the Boston Bruins was the only player not involved in the altercation, having departed the ice earlier that day.

What were the consequences that Boston Bruins players suffered?

Following the incident, the NHL penalized Terry O'Reilly for eight games, while Peter McNab and Mike Milbury were suspended for six games and fined $500 apiece.

Garry Cheevers was fined less than $500 and received no suspension, whereas John Kaptain was charged with disorderly conduct. He was eventually cleared in the following days.

Ice hockey, particularly the NHL, is a tough and aggressive sport in which confrontations and disagreements on the ice are commonplace. However, the 1979 episode remains one of the wildest in the sport's history. To avoid such occurrences in the future, a high-level glass rink shield that we presently see in the NHL was installed.