Inherently Ranger fans are a different breed than perhaps any other NHL fans based in the States. The bright shining moments are far and few between for the modern Blueshirt fan and we often find ourselves recalling the more disappointing and infamous events our team has participated in which are plentiful, rather than regaling each another with the scattered more famous achievements our Rangers have accomplished throughout the years.The following clip is quite a large dose of the first type of event. The infamous and embarrassing kind. On April 6th, 1978 the Rangers got involved in a classic bench clearing brawl against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum. This incident in The Mouths opinion contains one of the more galling and embarrassing incidents in Ranger history.
Dave Hoyda a 6’1 205lb goon with no hockey skills whatsoever is allowed to pummel a game but much smaller Ranger in the 5’9 175 lb Eddie Johnstone. Not only did Hoyda pound Johnstone on three separate occasions during this brawl , but astonishingly enough no Ranger on the ice comes to his aid. The only player on the rink who seems to care enough to attempt a rescue mission of Johnstone’s trifecta of pain is Ranger goaltender John Davidson.
The Mouth suggests after watching this clip the only conclusion J.D wasn’t able to successfully disrupt the carnage is that Big John was so gassed from the tussling of the brawl that he couldn’t handle the interference the opposing goaltender, the ancient Bernie Parent was running on him.
Adding insult to injury the instigator of the brawl Rangers forward Mark Heaslip who highsticked the Flyers Tom Bladon which set the bench clearer off in the first place, gets his head handed to him two separate times by the Flyers Mel Bridgeman.
Not one of our better moments. Dave Farrish, another name from the past.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Mouth, as always. Freddie the Fog still coaching the Flyers, he was just a few short months away from changing sides.