- The incident occurred in Newark during the Rangers’ 5-1 win over the Devils
- READ MORE: Rangers’ Matt Rempe sent off for heavy punch on Nathan Bastian
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Thursday’s hard-fought Rangers-Devils game in Newark gave way to a violent outburst in the crowd, with a New Jersey fan headbutting a Blue Shirt supporter before being ejected.
The incident occurred in the opening period, with first-placed Rangers leading 2–0 on their way to a 5–1 win.
The Devils fan, wearing a replica Jack Hughes No. 86 jersey, is seen arguing with another man in a winter coat along a staircase in one of the lower areas of Prudential Center.
As the action continues on the ice, two more fans join the fray in an attempt to keep the peace.
When someone off-screen shouted ‘hit his a**’, the Devils fan launched a headbutt over the banister; and while it’s unclear if he connected, the Rangers fan eventually fell backwards under a flurry of punches.
The Devils fan, wearing a replica Jack Hughes No. 86 jersey, is seen arguing with another man in a winter coat along a staircase in one of the lower areas of the Prudential Center
Security tried to separate the two, but the Rangers fan wasn’t done yet and threw a right cross of his own, which didn’t appear to do any damage.
At that point, the separation between the two fighters proved insurmountable and security was able to easily separate the themes. Only instead of ejecting both, only the Devils fan was shown the door.
“I didn’t start,” the man said as he was led up the stairs to the exit.
“Go home, buddy, go home,” comes a voice off-screen.
Although Thursday was a home game for the Devils, there was a sizable Rangers contingent in the crowd given the proximity of the two Hudson River rivals.
And that wasn’t the only violence in Newark Thursday.
Only the Devils fan appeared to be ejected. He decided to flip the bird on his way out
Rempe was thrown for the second time since making his NHL debut earlier this week
Bastian sat up and heard the end of the first period against the wall after a collision with Rempe
Rangers 6-foot-4 rookie Matt Rempe was ejected after a questionable hit on the Devils’ Nathan Bastian, whose head was pressed against the boards. Bastian suffered a head injury and a bloody nose, prompting teammate Jonas Siegenthaler to challenge Rempe to a fight.
Earlier this week, Rempe got into a brawl with Islanders stunner Matt Martin in front of 80,000 fans at MetLife just seconds after making his NHL debut.
Rempe already made league history as the first player to make his NHL debut in an outdoor game, and he probably set the record for the fastest fight in a career and therefore the fastest penalty kick.
Less than 90 seconds into the Empire State rivalry – in front of nearly 80,000 fans in New Jersey – Martin and Rempe faced off at center ice for a showdown.
The fight lasted about 30 seconds, with both players throwing punches without wearing gloves.