Last NHL Brawl

May 14, 1987

So this blog has actually been a year in the making and the 4th installment of nostalgic throw downs. It is a year in the making because last year with covid,  finals, and what ever happing it managed to slip down in the draft section of blogs and completely got forgotten.

1st installment last bench clearing brawl
2nd installmentSt. Patricks Day Massacre
3rd installment My favorite Hockey fight of all time

Many of yous might be saying super fan max you said the last brawl in the NHL was February 26, 1987. Yes it was the last Brawl that cleared the benches but in a GAME.  This Brawl on today May 14, 1987 34 years ago was a pre game free for all brawl. Guys came out of the locker room/ dressing room to get in on the action. while the last bench brawl was a mid game type deal. This fight or the fights of the '87 season lead to some league change but we will get to that later. 

This all out war was between the Montreal Canadiens v Philadelphia [typical Philly trash action]  Flyers. I know, yous guys want to see some dudes from the 80's chuck knucks but I'm going to give a little back story some context so you know whats going on. This was before Game 6 of the Prince of Wales Conference final[equivalent to the eastern conference of today]. Like any playoff series the tension is high the back and forth, and not to give any pity but Philadelphia will go on to play 26 playoff games that whole post season. the most at the time. but at that very moment may 14th they where on there 19th game. Some more fuel to the fire was.  Canadiens' Claude Lemieux

He was told by multiple Flyers not to do it but of course he did. Hockey players as we al know are very superstitious and Claude Lemieux had a ritual of shooting a puck into the opponents empty net before going to the locker room. Well at first it look like he took the warning he left the ice but came back on to shoot. He was not starting the game with out shooting the puck on an empty net.  

Even do this is an alternate angle.[ Finally a different angle of a fight that doesn't have a shaky camera must be the first time that's every happened in history. ] I think this is the best because you see Claude Lemieux come back to the ice. 

Same kinda angle and start but this video is longer. skip to like 5 minutes maybe. 

and French commentators why not, and best angle since it's a tv broadcast. 

Now on to the game

Yeah this is a hockey game from 34 years ago I'm not recapping it  The Flyers go on to win the Game 4-3 Eliminating the Canadiens from the playoffs. But the Flyers eventual go on to lose the Stanley cup to the Oilers. What this game did for the league was made it that only players on the ice can fight no one can jump off the bench and join sucks to be the guy in  the middle of a line change and everyone behind you is throwing knucks as soon as your butt touches pine. you can't go back out. 

In the lamer more formal way of saying 

Rule 70.1 to penalize players who left the bench to engage in a fight (10-game suspensions and a maximum $10,000 U.S. fine) plus fines for coaches who accidentally, intentionally lose control of their players. 

The league also restricted the number of players who could skate in the pregame warm-up. The reason why this rule was also put into play I believe the Canadians had 18 players dressed + 2 goalies and the Flyers had 24 players dressed and Goalies so way out number fight.  The season of 86-87 fights lead to the NHL laying down the law, people where saying they did not watch hockey cuz there was to much fighting involved. At the end of the day the NHL is selling product and even do they where 70 years in the making they had to evolve and become the house hold name that they are today. More fines where laid down nothing makes people think more about their decisions, till they have to pay for their actions. And when they litterly have to pay cash for their consequences they'll think before hand.