The biggest hockey rivalry in New York might not be between the Rangers and Islanders, it seems.
A pair of wild brawls broke out during a charity game on Sunday between the New York Police and fire departments, with members from both emergency services dropping the gloves at UBS Arena.
While one of the many duties for their jobs is trying to keep the peace, that wasn’t the case on the ice as things got rough between the “rivals.”
The first line brawl took place just eight minutes into the contest. With the score tied 1-1, a pair of players dropped the gloves around centre ice and started chucking knuckles at each other.
While the two squared off and a linesman was drawn away to monitor them, the rest of the skaters partnered up and began brawling on their own inside a faceoff circle near the boards.
Benches clear at end of game
Referees eventually gained control of the situation and sent the players to the penalty box.
The action remained relatively tame until just as the final whistle sounded. Trailing 3-2 in the closing moments, FDNY pulled the goalie and were pressing to even up the game.
One player crashed the NYPD net looking for a rebound as time expired, drawing a reaction for one of the nearby defencemen.
Several players dropped the gloves and both benches emptied, creating chaos on the ice as punches were thrown by both sides.
Rare win for NYPD players
After several minutes, tensions eased and the teams separated with NYPD celebrating a rare win in the annual rivalry game.
According to the game’s announcer, the 3-2 win was the first in a decade for the boys in blue.
“That passion runs through you. … We stand up for each other, we look out for each other,” FDNY winger Stephen Kelly told the New York Post prior to the game. “It’s just like your family at home. You’re going to defend them … whether you’re at work or on the hockey rink. That’s the fire department brotherhood.”
Has this happened before?
Despite the two big brawls, according to the outlet, Sunday’s game actually was calmer than some previous matchups between the two sides.
The Post reported that during a game in 2014, a massive bench-clearing brawl broke out during the second period.
Nearly every member of both teams was involved in the incident with the goalies being the exceptions.
The 2024 edition of the annual contest – Sunday’s game marked the 52nd year that the teams had faced each other – also featured a massive line brawl that went viral on social media.