The Craziest 'Mutha" To Ever Lace Them Up

This clip may be the grand daddy of them all as far as Bizarre Bench Clearer's go. It's also one of the best isolated displays of an unlikely combination of viciousness and one of total hilarity.

This "event" most likely can only be topped by the Bruins invading the MSG stands on December 23rd, 1979. What makes the following clip so redonkulous is the participants involved not really the fisticuffs. It all happened at MSG on February 21st, 1979.

The Rangers representative on this trip into bizarre-o-land was none other than Staten Island born and bred Nick Fotiu. Nick who actually despite taking a stick to the head, then staving off a linesman, trying to cut off his adversary in the hallway before he reached his locker room was the most sane of the combatants.

That’s because Nicky had become involved with the craziest mutha to ever lace up a pair of skates at the Pro level, Steve “Demoltion Durby” Durbano. The Mouth can not be convinced otherwise that Steve has no equal when it comes to being the biggest nut job ever to play in the NHL and throw in the WHA as well.

Steve’s life experiences on and off the ice are ones of folk tales and legend. In the following clip Durbano gets in a stick fight with Nick Fotiu and while Nicky is being held off by the late great linesman John D'Amico. Durbano comes over top hitting Fotiu with nothing but lumber in a vicious stick attack.

This all happens in a nano-second during the scrum in front of the Blues bench. The Mouth splices the stick attack four consecutive times into the video so that the viewer can see it, because it comes sneaky and quick just like every other Steve Durbano attack did.

The following night on Marv Albert’s WNBC broadcast he deemed the Blues loony tune defenseman “Hatchet Man“ and said that Durbano “Represented the pure sickness element in hockey today.” I say Marv had it right, and after watching the video I think you will agree.