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The Bruins attack the fans at MSG

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Dorin Canaday
December 23, 2022  (4:14 PM)
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When you think of the �'Big Bad Bruins'' of the past, this is the moment that stands out the most.

43 years ago today, one of the most infamous moments in NHL history happened, when Boston visited the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

It was December 23rd, 1979, and the final buzzer rang to end an incredibly rough game between the long time rivals. It all started when Al Secord caught Rangers forward Ulf Nilsson with a �'revenge'' sucker punch as the teams headed to their locker rooms.

That's when the fans got involved

A Rangers fan by the name of John Kaptain reached over the glass and smacked Stan Jonathan in the head with a rolled up program, which drew blood.

''He just reached over the glass and whacked me with it. I put my stick up to protect myself, and he just took it, and I can't be hitting no fan with a stick, really, eh, so I just let him take it.''

All hell broke loose!

Terry O'Reilly (who seen the exchange) climbed over the glass to go after Kaptain, and once his teammates saw, they joined in.

Kaptain briefly got away from O'Reilly but was quickly grabbed by Peter McNab and Mike Milbury, and that's when the most memorable moment happened.

Milbury got ahold of the fan's shoe and started beating him with it before throwing it onto the ice.

�'I grabbed his shoe, took a little tug on it, and then sort of double pumped. I don't know if I hesitated for a minute because I thought I'd be vilified for the next 30 years, but I gave him a cuff across the leg, and then I did what I thought was probably the most egregious thing of all: I threw his shoe on the ice.''

Re-live the entire incident here:

Afterwards, several suspensions and fines were handed out, as O'Reilly was suspended for 8 games, Milbury and McNab were suspended for 6, and all three - along with the entire Bruins roster - were fined an additional $500.

Except goaltender Gerry Cheevers who was already in the dressing room, and jokingly stated:

''I was already on my second beer.''

From that day on, the NHL implemented taller glass to every rink, which we see nowadays.

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What's the greatest moment in Bruins history?

Fan fight at MSG00 %
Bobby Orr's flying goal3066.7 %
Game 7 comeback against the Leafs1533.3 %
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