Here's the game story from Sunday, Dec. 23, 1979:
An ugly brawl erupted between Boston Bruin players and several Madison Square Garden patrons following the Bruins' 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers tonight and four of the fans were arrested.
At game's end, hard feelings, which had been developing throughout the game, got the better of New York goalie John Davidson. The netminder skated to the Bruins' end of the rink instead of going directly to the dressing room, and confronted Boston's Al Secord and John Wensink.
Both Boston players had been involved in some rough play with Davidson and New York's Swedish forwards, Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg.
"Secord suckered Nilsson and the referee (Gregg Madill) did nothing about it," said Davidson, who allowed 3 goals in the final period. "Everybody in the league thinks the Swedes take dives and are not tough, but it's not so. They're not that type of players to take dives."
His teammates, seeing Davidson talking with Secord and Wensink, also skated to the Boston end of the rink. Boston coach Fred Creighton came on to the ice and ordered his players off through a tunnel at the end of the rink.
But before all Boston players could get off the ice, New York's Frank Beaton and Secord began a fight in the corner. Boston's Stan Jonathan joined in and a fan reached across the glass and punched Jonathan in the face. Jonathan raised his stick to swing it at the fan and the heckler grabbed the stick, then turned the stick on Jonathan to hit him with his own stick. Boston's Terry O'Reilly jumped over the boards, went into the stands and wrestled the fan as all the other Bruins players poured over the boards.
O'Reilly said: "I went in the stands because somebody, who had no right to, punched Stanley. It's none of the fans' business. We don't interfere with them if they leave us alone. When I got in there it was pretty bad. I regret it, but I don't think I had a choice."
Bruins players chased the offending fan and got eight rows deep into the stands, where they were met by a surge of fans. Secord was seen using a shoe to beat the heckler who hit Jonathan.
Garden security personnel and New York city police then intervened, with NHL head of security Frank Torpey looking on. The Garden pressed charges against four people, but their names were unavailable.
Rangers' assistant coach Mike Nykoluk blamed referee Madill for the short tempers of the players. "We will have to get the film out and give it to the league in order to stop this stuff. The thing in the stands was ridiculous. He (Madill) let everything go all night."
Rangers' president William Jennings said: "We have been told by NHL president John Ziegler not to talk about this, but you can quote me: The referee caused this whole problem."
Referee Gregg Madill was unavailable for comment.