Devils Rangers line brawl to start the game (8 game misconducts given out)

[Rodgerwilco]

If the Rangers had started the line they were initially going to (which I assume was the Zibanejad line), what then? MacDermid was going to chase around Roslovic during the first shift or take a run at Zibanejad? Green was asking for it by putting that line out there, don't think he expected Laviolette to get his own players to commit to a line-brawl though. Rangers flipped the script on them and I think it set the tone for the rest of the game imo. That's smart no bullshit coaching, Rangers of last year under Gallant as a head coach would've folded to the Devs in a situation like last night.

Also Devils nation have been talking this game up for over a month as a desperate attempt to seek some form of blood-lust vengeance at MSG and spring a late playoff push to sneak into the 2nd wild-card slot, to then play the Rangers in round 1 again and turn into some type of thorn in your ass that you can't get rid of. Rangers almost certainly couldn't afford to get embarrassed by them at home with the playoffs looming so closely by so in the end it's just the best way to put the Devils drama to rest.

I don’t necessarily blame the rangers, they answered in kind to the lineup that was put in front of them. I just don’t like the whole situation all around.

I don’t like the line brawls at all. I don’t know why Rempe making a dirty hit means 10 guys have to fight next game. I don’t like the “blood lust” as you say, I don’t like any of that crap. Just play the game.

 

[Geoist]

I don’t like the line brawls at all. I don’t know why Rempe making a dirty hit means 10 guys have to fight next game.

Because Rempe refused to answer the call the last game. The Rangers players didn't have to fight. They could have just let Rempe do his thing like other players do 99% of the time.

 

[LaffyTaffy13]

We've been through this. Upping the violence is probably good for ratings but it's devastating to the players' well-being so stuff like this can't be happening all the time.

Their compensation is more than commensurate with the risks involved. Theres a reason crane operators are paid more than fast food workers

And I guarantee you that long term they won't be hockey fans because of the fighting. If hockey will make the game so popular why was it always the #4 sport when fighting was a bigger part of the game?

You think a better way to get casual sports fans into following hockey is figure skating and michigan goals with 160 pounders or tenacity and fighting?

 

[LaffyTaffy13]

Which just shows how poorly run the NHL is. It is possibly the sport with the most skill on display and yet it has to reach randoms by freak show nonsense like line brawls.

Theres nothing entertaining with figure skating and frail 160 pounders skilling it up. If hockey was nothing but that theyd lose tons and tons of fans. Heck, I was turned off from hockey and kinda disappeared and only came back after the rangers line brawl vs caps in 2021 post tom wilson/panarin. The more violent, the better. The more hatred, the better.

 

[Cuckoo4Kakko]

Because Rempe refused to answer the call the last game. The Rangers players didn't have to fight. They could have just let Rempe do his thing like other players do 99% of the time.

That's true. They used it as a chance to bond as a team. You wanna fight him, we all fight. If the Rangers win the cup, thanks to the Devils for the assist. If there is no cup, at least year 2 of the Devils dynasty involved getting swept. Either way, that brawl was a lot of fun.

 

[bb_fan]

We saw it last season. The slightest emotion with 10+ minutes remaining and the officials panic and apply misconducts.

In the past it was reserved for final moments of a game. The gentle, anti emotion NHL is thriving.

No i don't.

Not after watching the bruins get their ass handed too them physically on a lot of plays that would be a penalty in the regular season.

 

[AirGut]

I don’t necessarily blame the rangers, they answered in kind to the lineup that was put in front of them. I just don’t like the whole situation all around.

I don’t like the line brawls at all. I don’t know why Rempe making a dirty hit means 10 guys have to fight next game. I don’t like the “blood lust” as you say, I don’t like any of that crap. Just play the game.

this is not something that happens regularly anyways, come playoff time you won't even see a singular staged fight at all. This was just two rivalry teams voicing their frustrations with one another. Every game between the Rangers-Devils this past season has been a series of playoff style Hockey games, as if the 2023 1st round hadn't ever ended. It's one of the greatest NHL rivalries of all time for a reason.

Jeff Marek says it best in this clip:

https://x.com/DaveyUpper/status/1775924369056809395

 

[LaffyTaffy13]

We've been through this. Upping the violence is probably good for ratings but it's devastating to the players' well-being so stuff like this can't be happening all the time.

Fyi, this guy runs the largest rangers pod and isnt exactly the, “love goons” type either

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

Love a good line brawl, only missing the goalies throwing down.

These threads always show the figure skating fans.

 

[Xirik]

Fyi, this guy runs the largest rangers pod and isnt exactly the, “love goons” type either

Oh the Linsanity!

 

[Geoist]

That's true. They used it as a chance to bond as a team.

Bonding over a douche-baboon who headhunts other players. Heartwarming.

 

[TooManyHumans]

Theres nothing entertaining with figure skating and frail 160 pounders skilling it up. If hockey was nothing but that theyd lose tons and tons of fans. Heck, I was turned off from hockey and kinda disappeared and only came back after the rangers line brawl vs caps in 2021 post tom wilson/panarin. The more violent, the better. The more hatred, the better.

Because there's no middle ground between figure skating and line brawls to start games.

 

[johnnyonthspot]

Nope.

Violence offends you?

It does not offend me. I just think the line brawl and the way Rempe is being challenged to a fight every game is asinine and unecessary.
When PK Subban or Sean Avery endorse this thuggary you know it is abhorrent behaviour and makes the NHL a clown league.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

All I want to know is has James Dolan issued a statement yet

 

[BelovedIsles]

Just glad Rempe lost. He annoys the f*** out of me.

 

[2Leetch_94]

Mock Rempe's fighting skills all you want, at least he doesn't try to bear hug people for 2 minutes. Those type of "fights" were the worst.

 

[Cuckoo4Kakko]

All I want to know is has James Dolan issued a statement yet

Statement: You allowed this to happen to us. Now get ready for a bunch of crying because we’re gonna do it to everyone else.

 

[wolfgaze]

Gary Bettman watching that game like

 

[egelband]

The whole "this wouldn't have happened if Rempe answered the bell last game" is such a whiny ass excuse for what happened.
The best revenge is winning on the scoreboard, but the Devils were more concerned about the sideshow. Last game too. Meanwhile, the Rangers basically put a dagger in any hope the Devils might have had going into last night.

Yep. A pretty nothing hit, the first one. And the Devils go out and get this guy who absolutely has to justify his existence… which ends up with the Rempe elbow and stupid wave.
And then this past game it’s even more of an imperative for the Devils to get Rempe. And it ropes in even more Devils who didn’t want to get into fights. (Great move by The Rangers taking up the fight as a team; That was chess).
Had the Devils skipped signing a guy to fight their battles maybe they step up as team and their season doesn’t spiral.

 

[Wierzbowski426]

Yep. A pretty nothing hit, the first one. And the Devils go out and get this guy who absolutely has to justify his existence… which ends up with the Rempe elbow and stupid wave.
And then this past game it’s even more of an imperative for the Devils to get Rempe. And it ropes in even more Devils who didn’t want to get into fights. (Great move by The Rangers taking up the fight as a team; That was chess).
Had the Devils skipped signing a guy to fight their battles maybe they step up as team and their season doesn’t spiral.

Pack it in folks, the devils sucked shit this year because they wanted to fight matt rempe.

Good freaking lord.

 

[HolyHagelin]

Pack it in folks, the devils sucked shit this year because they wanted to fight matt rempe.

Good freaking lord.

The way negative spirals work is that each step down the spiral greases the path for the next step down.

Having been on the side of it that the devs currently are, yeah, too much focus on Rempe and McDermid absolutely fed into the negative mindset of the season and helped torpedo any chance of pulling out of the death spiral. If someone is riding in to save them, they don’t need to save themselves.

Good young teams (almost) always take their lumps the year after a big breakout, long term the devs will be back to contending for the next several years.

 

[egelband]

Pack it in folks, the devils sucked shit this year because they wanted to fight matt rempe.

Good freaking lord.

That’s not what I said. My point was that had the Devils stood up for themselves rather than ringing dial-a-thug maybe things go better for them the last few weeks.

 

[hurdemz]

It does not offend me. I just think the line brawl and the way Rempe is being challenged to a fight every game is asinine and unecessary.
When PK Subban or Sean Avery endorse this thuggary you know it is abhorrent behaviour and makes the NHL a clown league.

Like it or not, this is what hockey has been like for the majority of its existence. Now, nobody has referenced the NHL as a clown league at that time. What has changed?

18,000 screaming fans on their feet watching this will agree that this was the highlight of the game.

Why are you so opposed to this type of thing?
This is hockey. Go watch figure skating if you don't like it.

 

[Negan4Coach]

It does not offend me. I just think the line brawl and the way Rempe is being challenged to a fight every game is asinine and unecessary.
When PK Subban or Sean Avery endorse this thuggary you know it is abhorrent behaviour and makes the NHL a clown league.

Can we not have one of these per decade without it being a huge deal? I don't think anybody is arguing this should happen regularly.

 

[Il Stugotz]

Can we not have one of these per decade without it being a huge deal? I don't think anybody is arguing this should happen regularly.

People are definitely arguing that they should happen regularly. There's no way that could backfire and accelerate the inevitable fighting ban!