In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, emotions run high. Sometimes, this can unfortunately spill over into physical altercations, which is exactly what happened Saturday afternoon between fans of the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
During the Devils' 4-0 win over the Rangers, a skirmish was caught on tape between fans of the two rival clubs. They appear to exchange verbal barbs and get right into each other's faces, with at least one onlooker audibly encouraging them to fight:
Though another fan tries to pull the Devils fan away (with an onlooker yelling a homophobic slur during the standoff), the Devils fan swats the Rangers fan's beer out of his hand. The Rangers fan then grabs him into a chokehold, keeping him there until he's knocked unconscious.
While it's unclear what was said between the two to set the Rangers fan off (or exactly how much of their fight was fuelled by alcohol), it's a telltale sign of the intensity of playoff hockey — and individual team allegiances — being taken too far.
