Let's Take A Look Back At Another Rangers-Devils Opening Faceoff Line Brawl

On Wednesday night, I finished work for the night at 6:45. I shut the laptop knowing I left it all out on the proverbial field that day. Then my girlfriend decided our plans for the rest of the night: we were going to walk the dog, I was going to crack open a beer, and watch Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Now, that is a Wednesday night.

However, as we were walking the dog, I got a message from OutKick's own Dan Zaksheske asking if I was watching the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils game.

By now, I'm sure you know why: a game-opening line brawl of epic proportions that capped off a month-and-a-half-long saga with rookie fist-fightin' sensation Matt Rempe at the center of it.

Thanks to technology, I managed to quickly pop open the Spectrum cable app and caught some replays of the madness that unfolded.

It was old-school hockey at it's best. Players taking matters into their own hands.

But you may recall, that this isn't the first time the Devils and Rangers have thrown hands right after puck drop.

Let's hop in the Wayback Machine like Sherman and his smart-ass dog Mr. Peabody and take a look at it…

*B-Movie Time Machine Sounds*

Ranger Stu Bickel tangles with New jersey's Ryan Carter on March 19, 2012. (Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images)

Dateline: March 19, 2012

Mitt Romney is on his way to the Republican nomination ahead of the 2012 Presidential election. 21 Jump Street and The Lorax dominate the box office. TikTok had yet to infect the minds of an entire generation. 

And, of course, the Rangers and Devils played at Madison Square Garden.

According to The New York Post, legendary Blueshirts netminder Henrik Lundqvist to ESPN New York at the time that this fight all started when then-Rangers coach John Tortorella saw who then-Devils coach Pete DeBoer had decided to send out to start the game.

Torts answered by throwing out his fourth line which included former Devil and heavyweight Mike Rupp.

Rupp started dancing with New Jersey's Eric Boulton. Meanwhile, several other fights broke out all around the ice while John Tortorella gave the stink-eye to DeBoer.

Speaking of which, Tortorella was involved in another puck-drop brawl only this time it was when he was coaching the Vancouver Canucks, and the coach he was mad at was Calgary's Bob Hartley.

This brawl is also remembered for Tortorella trying to get into the Flames locker room during the intermission. That's frowned upon and earned him a 15-day suspension.

Animosity to at the level we saw on Wednesday night at MSG seems rare in today's NHL, but boy, oh boy, was it nice to get a little dose of old-time hockey.

Man, I am so fired up for the playoffs.