What is your favorite bench clearing brawl?

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#164303
May 31, 2008
12,621
3,665
Milwaukee
Back when the glass was lower and fan's could interact with the players.


I have seen one player do that a few times, but not an entire bench.

It reminds of the Bruins playing in MSG when a fan reached over the low glass and grabbed Stan Johnathon's stick away from him. You may remember several Bruins players going over the glass and into the stands to fight Rangers fans. The infamous part was Mike Milbury hitting a man with his own shoe.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,144
Lots of great ones here...............good to see they still happen the odd time in the minor leagues.

The question is................does this ever happen in the NHL again? Even once?
 

GBHockey

Registered User
Jun 2, 2018
170
114
Both of these from the other side of the pond, in the UK. First one from 2001 and the second from 2010.



 
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SI90

Registered User
Jul 25, 2011
85,039
62,501
StrongIsland
So crazy that here used to be bench clearing brawls. Those guys were insane back in the day lol. Love it.
 

blood gin

Registered User
Jan 17, 2017
4,174
2,203
Lots of great ones here...............good to see they still happen the odd time in the minor leagues.

The question is................does this ever happen in the NHL again? Even once?

it can happen but the penalties and fines that the organizations involved in this will be pretty steep. However the exposure for the game will be incredible and positive. A bench clearing brawl this season will be such a viral happening it will be shown everywhere and people would be anticipating the rematch.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,144
it can happen but the penalties and fines that the organizations involved in this will be pretty steep. However the exposure for the game will be incredible and positive. A bench clearing brawl this season will be such a viral happening it will be shown everywhere and people would be anticipating the rematch.

True enough. Imagine that, a rivalry!
 
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Mandar

The Real Maven
Sep 27, 2013
4,342
4,466
The Tarheel State
I've never seen a video of it, but I've heard an audio of a WHA game from the mid-70's between the New England Whalers and Minnesota Fighting Saints....it's pretty famous, and the announcers were going nuts. Can someone post the audio call (a video would be amazing)?
 

GBHockey

Registered User
Jun 2, 2018
170
114
Is fighting significantly down in the EIHL as well?
It's still going relatively strong. Last season saw the most fights (127) since 2012-13 Season when there was 143 fights. However, there were 90 more games played last season compared to 2012-13.

The overall fights per game stat last season is 0.33 with it being 0.48 back in 2012-13. So far this season it is at 0.40 fights per game, with there having been 25 fights in 63 games so far.

The one dimensional enforcers have gone from the league. Guys like Brian McGrattan, Jay Rosehill, Boris Valabik, Cam Janssen, Brad Plumton, Benn Olsen, Derek Campbell, Bryan Jurynec, Colt King, Devin DiDiomete etc. have pretty much all gone. There is still the tough guys, no nonsense power forward type players, tough stay at home defencemen though, like Jacob Doty, Zack Fitzgerald, Mark Louis. The most notorious currently in the league is probably Josh Gratton but he's seemed relatively tame so far.

Staged fights are pretty much gone. Fights will occur mostly as a result of hits and dirty plays. It's a very physical league, big tough players mixed with smaller skill players, and things get heated as you'd expect. One key factor is the officiating, referee's in the EIHL are sub standard compared to most professional leagues and there's been many cases of dirty hits not being called, or a player only getting a 10 minute misconduct, so as soon as they're back out the penalty box or on for their next shift, it's not all that surprising if the gloves come off. Call it self policing I guess.
 

Dueling Banjos

Registered User
Oct 29, 2014
7,096
5,850
It's still going relatively strong. Last season saw the most fights (127) since 2012-13 Season when there was 143 fights. However, there were 90 more games played last season compared to 2012-13.

The overall fights per game stat last season is 0.33 with it being 0.48 back in 2012-13. So far this season it is at 0.40 fights per game, with there having been 25 fights in 63 games so far.

The one dimensional enforcers have gone from the league. Guys like Brian McGrattan, Jay Rosehill, Boris Valabik, Cam Janssen, Brad Plumton, Benn Olsen, Derek Campbell, Bryan Jurynec, Colt King, Devin DiDiomete etc. have pretty much all gone. There is still the tough guys, no nonsense power forward type players, tough stay at home defencemen though, like Jacob Doty, Zack Fitzgerald, Mark Louis. The most notorious currently in the league is probably Josh Gratton but he's seemed relatively tame so far.

Staged fights are pretty much gone. Fights will occur mostly as a result of hits and dirty plays. It's a very physical league, big tough players mixed with smaller skill players, and things get heated as you'd expect. One key factor is the officiating, referee's in the EIHL are sub standard compared to most professional leagues and there's been many cases of dirty hits not being called, or a player only getting a 10 minute misconduct, so as soon as they're back out the penalty box or on for their next shift, it's not all that surprising if the gloves come off. Call it self policing I guess.

Very informative, thanks. Not up to standard officiating seems to be an important factor indeed.
 

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
I always like to post this one. I remember it as a kid. Ian Turnbull jumped off the bench because the refs did such a bad job and ATL had an extra player on the ice taking liberties on anyone he could get his hands on.

A classic line brawl TOR vs ATL Flames

 

Cams

Registered User
May 27, 2008
1,466
554
Windsor, ON
It's still going relatively strong. Last season saw the most fights (127) since 2012-13 Season when there was 143 fights. However, there were 90 more games played last season compared to 2012-13.

The overall fights per game stat last season is 0.33 with it being 0.48 back in 2012-13. So far this season it is at 0.40 fights per game, with there having been 25 fights in 63 games so far.

The one dimensional enforcers have gone from the league. Guys like Brian McGrattan, Jay Rosehill, Boris Valabik, Cam Janssen, Brad Plumton, Benn Olsen, Derek Campbell, Bryan Jurynec, Colt King, Devin DiDiomete etc. have pretty much all gone. There is still the tough guys, no nonsense power forward type players, tough stay at home defencemen though, like Jacob Doty, Zack Fitzgerald, Mark Louis. The most notorious currently in the league is probably Josh Gratton but he's seemed relatively tame so far.

Staged fights are pretty much gone. Fights will occur mostly as a result of hits and dirty plays. It's a very physical league, big tough players mixed with smaller skill players, and things get heated as you'd expect. One key factor is the officiating, referee's in the EIHL are sub standard compared to most professional leagues and there's been many cases of dirty hits not being called, or a player only getting a 10 minute misconduct, so as soon as they're back out the penalty box or on for their next shift, it's not all that surprising if the gloves come off. Call it self policing I guess.

LOL - all the guys I bolded were all in the OHL together for at least one season if I recall correctly, maybe even Valabik...heck...we in Windsor had Gratton and Janssen on the same team! We had Tim Gleason then too and wow could he fight if/when he had to as well.
 

dortt

Registered User
Sep 21, 2018
5,298
2,656
Houston, TX
last in game brawl where numerous players left the bench

Buffalo vs Calgary 1991. Retaliation for breaking LaFontaine's jaw

 

Pizza!Pizza!

Registered User
Sep 25, 2018
4,716
7,183
For me it's the Good Friday Massacre.


Technically not a bench clear because the players had left the bench to go to the locker room and not *just* for the fight. Hence Hunter and Statsny going nuts being stuck on the bench after the fight started.

Piestany definitely takes the cake (or pie). Most of the real bench clears occurred pre-1980s, but we'll never see anything like that again because its not a 'blue collar' league anymore. Even the grinders are millionaires and though the players are still tough, we'll likely never see anything like these line brawls again and definitely won't see a Piestany-tier bench clear again.
 

ICM1970

Registered User
Jan 29, 2012
607
129
Ottawa, ON
How about March 11 1979 with Los Angeles and Philadelphia? I remember watching a You Tube video of it and someone commented on how they watched it live on TV in Los Angeles that Sunday afternoon (local time in L.A.) and it was one fight after another and then the big event at the end of the period.
 

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