Pittsburgh Penguins–New York Islanders brawl

Fight Night Brawl
123 Total
Pittsburgh Penguins 021 3
New York Islanders 441 9
Date February 11, 2011
Arena Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
City Uniondale, New York,  United States
Attendance 12,888

The Penguins–Islanders brawl was a National Hockey League (NHL) regular season ice hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders that resulted in a record for combined penalty minutes for both teams. The game was played on February 11, 2011, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the home arena of the Islanders at the time. New York won the game 9–3. In all, 65 penalties were assessed, including 15 fighting majors and 21 game misconducts, resulting in a total of 346 penalty minutes.

The high number of physical altercations was attributed to numerous on-ice incidents between the two teams throughout the season, most notably an incident during the prior meeting of the two teams in which Penguins forward Maxime Talbot delivered a hit to Blake Comeau that concussed him. Prior to the rematch, there were hints and indications from the Islanders that there would be retribution for the injury. The game itself featured two separate multi-player brawls, one of which occurred after Pittsburgh's Eric Tangradi took an elbow to the head, which caused a concussion. The NHL suspended three players for actions occurring in the game and fined the Islanders organization $100,000. After the disciplinary action was announced, Penguins owner Mario Lemieux questioned the direction of the League for allowing fighting. Lemieux was highly criticized following his comments, with critics noting that his Penguins team led the entire league in fighting majors.

Previous game

Maxime Talbot was at the center of the incident

The previous Pittsburgh Penguins–New York Islanders matchup, which took place nine days prior to the brawl, featured several incidents that contributed to the hostilities between the teams. In the first period of that contest, Penguins forward Maxime Talbot delivered a "questionable but unpenalized" body check to the Islanders' Blake Comeau.[1] Talbot was not penalized and Comeau played for the remainder of the game, but was diagnosed with a concussion two days later.[2] The injury caused Comeau to miss four games, including the rematch against the Penguins.[3]

A second incident occurred later in the game. With just 16.5 seconds left in regulation, Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro shoved Penguins forward Matt Cooke as he skated through the crease.[4] As Cooke fell to the ground, a scrum ensued. Penguins goaltender Brent Johnson skated the length of the ice and engaged DiPietro in a fight. Johnson threw a single left hook, knocking the Islanders goaltender to the ice.[5] DiPietro was sidelined for six weeks following the fight due to facial fractures and knee swelling.[6][7]

Brawl game

The Islanders were "bitter" over what had transpired in the previous game, and hinted that there would be retribution when the clubs next met on February 11, 2011.[8][9] The game began as a penalty-filled affair as eight penalties were called for infractions in the first period. The Islanders started the physical play early in the game, as Micheal Haley was assessed a roughing penalty at the 2:37 mark in the first period. Halfway through the first period, the first fight of the game occurred when Haley fought with Craig Adams. A second fight broke out late in the period when the Islanders' Trevor Gillies squared off with Penguins' enforcer Eric Godard with just over two minutes left in the period. At the end of the first, New York had scored four goals on Johnson and led 4–0.[10]

Early in the second period, New York scored two goals just 30 seconds apart, taking a 6–0 lead.[10] After the sixth goal, Johnson was pulled and as he skated to the tunnel where the back-up goaltender sits, he was "showered" with boos from the crowd, largely due to the ramifications of his prior fight with DiPietro.[11] Shortly after Johnson was pulled, the first brawl occurred. Due to his previous hit on Comeau, Talbot was targeted by the Islanders' players, and he was "jumped" from behind by Matt Martin.[1] Martin's attempt to engage Talbot in a fight resulted in three separate fights breaking out. In his first NHL fight, the Islanders' Josh Bailey squared off with Pascal Dupuis, while the Penguins' Mike Rupp tangled with Travis Hamonic, while Martin fought with Deryk Engelland.[11] All six players were automatically ejected from the game after each received ten-minute game misconduct penalties. Martin received an additional ten-minute misconduct and a two-minute minor for instigating the altercation.[10][11] Martin's minor was offset when Engelland was assessed a minor for roughing for his part of the altercation. Three more minors were called during the period, which ended with the Islanders leading the game 8–2.[10]

Trevor Gillies was given a nine-game suspension for his actions in the brawl

At the start of the third period, Johnson returned to the game and less than five minutes into the period, a second brawl occurred.[8] The melee started when Gillies elbowed Penguins forward Eric Tangradi in the head.[12] After the elbow, Tangradi fell to the ice, where he was continually punched.[13] When Gillies was separated from Tangradi, he was given a five-minute major for elbowing, a double minor for roughing, a ten-minute misconduct and a game misconduct.[10] Despite being ejected from the game, Gillies continued to taunt the injured Tangradi from the runway to the dressing rooms.[12][13] Tangradi left the game with an apparent concussion.[12] While that situation was unfolding, other incidents were occurring on the ice — Haley fought Talbot and, while that fight was being broken up, Johnson skated from his crease towards his blue line. Haley skated towards Johnson, then both players dropped their gloves and engaged in a fight. As Haley approached, Godard left the bench to join in the fight and protect Johnson.[8] Godard was assessed a double minor for roughing and two game misconduct penalties; Haley received an instigator minor, two fighting majors, a ten-minute misconduct and a game misconduct (the game misconduct being automatic for a third fight in a game); while Johnson was given a major for fighting.[10] Although he was ejected from the game, the crowd chanted Haley's name for the rest of the period whenever a scrum ensued,[11] another of which occurred at the 16:04 mark in the period that witnessed another six misconduct penalties. As the game wound down, there was yet another fight when Joe Vitale battled the Islanders' Andrew MacDonald. The fight occurred with just 2:47 remaining in the game, but it would not be the last penalty handed out, as just 15 seconds later, Ryan Craig was given both a cross-checking minor and a ten-minute misconduct. Both teams scored a goal during the third period, making the final a 9–3 Islanders win.[10] After all the ejections at the end of regulation, the Penguins had seven eligible players, while the Islanders had nine.[14] Only 12 players from both teams combined did not receive any penalties: Marc-Andre Fleury, Alex Goligoski, Nick Johnson, Paul Martin and Jordan Staal of Pittsburgh; and Bruno Gervais, Michael Grabner, Milan Jurcina, Mikko Koskinen, Radek Martinek, Matt Moulson and P. A. Parenteau of New York.[10] In all, 65 penalties were assessed, including 15 fighting major penalties and 21 game misconducts, for a total of 346 minutes. The penalty minute total set team records for both the Penguins and Islanders for combined penalty minutes.[15]

Aftermath

The day after the game, the NHL handed out suspensions and fines for the incidents. New York's Trevor Gillies received a nine-game suspension and Matt Martin was given four games for his actions, which NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell described as "deliberate attempts to injure." The Islanders organization was also fined $100,000 for "failure to control their players." Pittsburgh's Eric Godard was given an automatic ten-game suspension for violating League rules prohibiting players from leaving the bench to join a fight. Although such actions should result in a suspension for the player's head coach, the NHL elected not to enforce this rule. Tangradi, a recent callup from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, suffered post-concussion symptoms, causing him to miss nearly six weeks of playing time, which had the additional effect of making Tangradi, at the time of his call-up the leading scorer in the American Hockey League (AHL), miss the AHL's clear day (as he could not be reassigned while injured), making Tangradi ineligible to play in the AHL that post-season.[15][16]

Mario Lemieux spoke out about the League's length of suspensions

Following the announcement of the suspensions, Penguins owner and Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux questioned the direction of the League. Lemieux released a statement on the issue, saying, "The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed." He further added, "If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it."[17] An alternate view was expressed by Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke, who noted that he felt the NHL acted "swiftly, harshly and appropriately."[13] Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic agreed with Burke, stating that the NHL took a stand against line brawls and intent to injure opponents.[18]

Boxscore

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st NYI Travis Hamonic (2) Michael Grabner (9), Frans Nielsen (20) 8:51 1–0 NYI
NYI Jesse Joensuu (4) Josh Bailey (10), Matt Martin (5) 12:52 2–0 NYI
NYI P. A. Parenteau (14) (PP) Travis Hamonic (11), John Tavares (23) 17:48 3–0 NYI
NYI Michael Grabner (20) Bruno Gervais (5), Radek Martinek (7) 19:12 4–0 NYI
2nd NYI John Tavares (20) Travis Hamonic (12), Matt Moulson (13) 3:16 5–0 NYI
NYI Micheal Haley (1) Jack Hillen (8) 3:46 6–0 NYI
PIT Kris Letang (8) (PP) Alex Goligoski (20), Brett Sterling (1) 6:08 6–1 NYI
PIT Jordan Staal (5) (PP) Tyler Kennedy (16) 9:04 6–2 NYI
NYI Matt Moulson (20) P. A. Parenteau (21), John Tavares (24) 13:31 7–2 NYI
NYI Matt Moulson (21) (PP) John Tavares (25), Milan Jurcina (8) 17:50 8–2 NYI
3rd PIT Tyler Kennedy (11) Kris Letang (35), Joe Vitale (1) 7:46 8–3 NYI
NYI Michael Grabner (21) (SH) Unassisted 17:51 9–3 NYI
Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st NYI Micheal Haley Roughing 2:37 2:00
NYI Micheal Haley Fighting 10:22 5:00
PIT Craig Adams Fighting 10:22 5:00
NYI Travis Hamonic Hooking 14:33 2:00
PIT Team, served by Eric Tangradi Too many men on the ice 15:51 2:00
PIT Eric Godard Fighting 17:56 5:00
NYI Trevor Gillies Fighting 17:56 5:00
NYI John Tavares Slashing 20:00 2:00
2nd NYI Matt Martin Instigator, Fighting, Misconduct, Game misconduct 5:21 27:00
PIT Michael Rupp Fighting, Game misconduct 5:21 15:00
PIT Pascal Dupuis Fighting, Game misconduct 5:21 15:00
NYI Josh Bailey Fighting, Game misconduct 5:21 15:00
NYI Travis Hamonic Fighting, Game misconduct 5:21 15:00
PIT Deryk Engelland Roughing, Game misconduct 5:21 12:00
NYI Frans Nielsen Slashing 7:51 2:00
PIT Eric Godard Roughing 17:20 2:00
PIT Zbynek Michalek Slashing 17:30 2:00
3rd
PIT Brooks Orpik Charging 1:19 2:00
NYI Kyle Okposo Roughing 1:19 2:00
NYI Trevor Gillies Roughing (double minor), Elbowing (major), Misconduct, Game misconduct 4:47 29:00
NYI Micheal Haley Instigator, Fighting (double major), Misconduct, Game misconduct 4:47 30:00
PIT Craig Adams Roughing, Game misconduct 4:47 12:00
PIT Eric Godard Roughing (double minor), double Game misconduct 4:47 24:00
PIT Brent Johnson Fighting 4:47 5:00
PIT Maxime Talbot Fighting 4:47 5:00
NYI Kyle Okposo Interference 12:12 2:00
PIT Brett Sterling Roughing 12:12 2:00
PIT Tyler Kennedy Holding 12:42 2:00
PIT Kris Letang Roughing, Misconduct 16:04 12:00
NYI Kyle Okposo Roughing, Misconduct 16:04 12:00
NYI Zenon Konopka Roughing, Misconduct 16:04 12:00
PIT Maxime Talbot Roughing, Misconduct 16:04 12:00
NYI Team, served by Jesse Joensuu Too many men on the ice 16:04 2:00
NYI Andrew MacDonald Fighting, Cross checking 17:43 7:00
PIT Joe Vitale Fighting, Cross checking 17:43 7:00
PIT Ryan Craig Cross checking, Misconduct 17:58 12:00

Penalty summary

Below is a table showing players from both teams and the number of penalties and penalties in minutes they received.[10]

Player Team Penalties Minutes
Haley, MichealMicheal Haley NYI 7 39
Gillies, TrevorTrevor Gillies NYI 6 34
Godard, EricEric Godard PIT 6 31
Martin, MattMatt Martin NYI 4 27
Adams, CraigCraig Adams PIT 3 17
Hamonic, TravisTravis Hamonic NYI 3 17
Talbot, MaximeMaxime Talbot PIT 3 17
Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo NYI 4 16
Bailey, JoshJosh Bailey NYI 2 15
Dupuis, PascalPascal Dupuis PIT 2 15
Rupp, MichaelMichael Rupp PIT 2 15
Craig, RyanRyan Craig PIT 2 12
Engelland, DerykDeryk Engelland PIT 2 12
Konopka, ZenonZenon Konopka NYI 2 12
Letang, KrisKris Letang PIT 2 12
Sterling, BrettBrett Sterling PIT 2 12
Hillen, JackJack Hillen NYI 1 10
MacDonald, AndrewAndrew MacDonald NYI 2 7
Vitale, JoeJoe Vitale PIT 2 7
Johnson, BrentBrent Johnson PIT 1 5
Kennedy, TylerTyler Kennedy PIT 1 2
Michalek, ZbynekZbynek Michalek PIT 1 2
Nielsen, FransFrans Nielsen NYI 1 2
Orpik, BrooksBrooks Orpik PIT 1 2
Tavares, JohnJohn Tavares NYI 1 2
Bench Minor NYI 1 2
Bench Minor PIT 1 2

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Isles fined $100K; 3 banned after brawl". ESPN. 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  2. "Blake Comeau out with concussion". New York Newsday. 2011-02-05. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  3. "Grabner scores 3 in Isles' 7–6 OT win over Sabres". NBC. 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  4. "Islanders, DiPietro go down fighting". The New York Post. 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  5. Botta, Christopher (2011-02-03). "In One Punch, Down Goes DiPietro". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  6. "Punch knocks DiPietro out". The Toronto Sun. 2011-02-04. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  7. "NHL Capsules". National Hockey League. 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  8. 1 2 3 "Penguins, Islanders set records for most penalties". The Chicago Tribune. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  9. Strang, Katie (2011-02-11). "Islanders punish Pens, get revenge". Newsday. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Penguins, Islanders Box Score". USA Today. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Penguins, Islanders Brawl: NHL Teams Fight For Second Time In 9 Days". The Huffington Post. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  12. 1 2 3 Molinari, Dave (2011-02-13). "Penguins Notebook: Tangradi isn't sure about severity of injury". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  13. 1 2 3 Allen, Kevin (2011-02-15). "Penguins-Islanders mayhem bucks fighting trend". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  14. "Penguins-Islanders Get Major Revenge Against Penguins". Canaiden Online Media Network. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  15. 1 2 "NHL levies suspensions to Penguins and Isles". National Hockey League. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  16. Anderson, Shelly (2011-03-24). "Tangradi returns from concussion to resume practicing". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  17. "Lemieux questions direction of NHL following game with Isles". TSN. 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  18. Brehm, Mike (2011-02-13). "Mario Lemieux: League 'failed' in punishment of Friday's brawl". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
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