The NHL world was buzzing on Wednesday with the brawl between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, and now Coach Peter Laviolette has addressed that.
It's happened before and it will happen again, but the rivalry game between the
New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils on Wednesday exploded with five fights right off the bat.This resulted in eight players being given game misconducts, but was necessary for the Rangers, according to Head Coach Peter Laviolette.
"No. Our guys were reacting to what was happening on the ice," he said. "I thought they did a fantastic job, all five of them."
After the exchange, it was Laviolette and Devils Head Coach Travis Greene that got into a heated exchange, but unsurprisingly, the Rangers Coach shrugged it off with a tongue in cheek vague answer.
"There's obviously a little bit between the two teams, I just think the emotions get in there," he said. "How's that for vague?"
There's plenty of different schools of thought on whether or not this type of line brawl is good for the game of hockey or not, but regardless, it brought plenty of attention to the game through outlets that would very rarely cover hockey. It's not going to happen all the time, but given the frustration and the hatred in this rivalry, things came together at the right time to make a spectacle in one of the biggest matchups of the year.
Laviolette also revealed a conversation with Adam Fox that occurred right after, telling his Norris Trophy winning defenseman that he'll have to play 30 minutes on the night after losing two key blue liners immediately.
"As soon as it was over, Foxy came back and said, 'Both D get kicked out?' I said, 'Yep, 30 minutes.'"
Ultimately, the Rangers would go on to win one of the most entertaining matchups of the year, and despite all of the physicality, Peter Laviolette supports his team fully, and that's huge as they head into the post-season looking for a Stanley Cup.
Source: Hockey Feed
Peter Laviolette plays it cool in presser following line brawl vs. Devils
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