Saw a comment on a youtube video of this saying that he 'Went to watch a fight and a game of ice hockey broke out' and it made be laugh.
Sorry for my ignorance but could someone explain to a noob what set that off and what the point of it was? Looked about as orchestrated as WWE.
NY Rangers and Washington Capitals had played 2 days earlier, and a Capitals player Tom Wilson who has a history for being a grade A pillock who tries to injure players, and has been suspended multiple times, went after 2 of Rangers players, including Artemi Panarin, one of the best and most skilled players in the league, he basically tried to drive his head into the ice (his helmet had come off in a scrum before hand). Panarin is now injured, although I don’t think it is a bad injury thankfully, but it was as a result of this incident.
So anyway, the league’s ‘deparment of player safety' in their infinite wisdom, choose only to fine Wilson, a decision vilified by basically everone (apart from Washington Capitals). Most agree that he should have served a long suspension, many will say he should not even be in the league at this point such is his history. And the Rangers issued a statement bascially saying how disgusted they where at the lack of suspension, and asking for the removal of the man who heads the department of player saftey - George Parros (ex player and dickhead himself, ironic).
I could go on about the leagues department of player saftey - but it has a long history of not doing it’s job properly. The NHL has basically taken the much of the fighting out of the league and allowed players like Wilson to do what they do - because there isn't any on ice governance, and old school retribution and protection now as there used to be in hockey (i.e. Old Time Hockey).
So long story short, it was orchestrated last night, league didn’t help and do their job, so Rangers tried to get their own revenge. Start of the game, it was a case of the Capitals players basically saying ‘get it over with’, so 6 players dropped the gloves. But it wasn’t over, and on it went with other incidents through the game, with multiple players thrown out for misconduct penalties along the way. And Pavel Buchnevich (the other Rangers player Tom Wilson had gone after), cross-checking one of the Capitals better players in the face as his form of retribution as well.