Rangers fan who sucker punched Lightning fan during Playoffs pleads guilty
While there was plenty of good hockey that took place in the Eastern Conference Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, the main thing many fans remember from it was an infamous sucker punch between two fans.
After a 3-1 Lightning victory back on June 9 at Madison Square Garden, James Anastasio, a Rangers fan, sucker punched a Bolts fan on the way out of the arena, knocking him unconscious. On Wednesday, the 29-year-old, who was banned from MSG for life, pleaded guilty to a single charge of third-degree assault. He was also sentenced to an anger management program with 200 hours of community service and a full order of protection to keep him away from the victim.
While friendly chirping between fans makes sports fun, this was clearly something that was taken way too far. In all honesty, Anastasio should be thankful in this situation, as it could have ended far worse to him given how scary the incident looks in the video.
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