Who Was The Hockey Player Who Climbed Into The Crowd & Beat A Guy

with his own shoe?

This was maybe 15 years ago? Anyone remember such a thing or did I imagine it.

He went after a fan but that was a few years ago.

What do you when someone is cursing and kicking at you? Take his shoe and beat him with it. At least that's what Boston Bruin Mike Milbury did when he ran into the stands to defend his teammates in a brawl at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 23, 1979.

Milbury was sitting in an empty dressing room, savouring a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers, when he suddenly noticed he was the only one in the room.

When he walked back to the ice surface he found the rest of his teammates climbing into the stands, going after someone who grabbed a stick and swung it at Bruin Stan Jonathan.

While absolute havoc played out in the stands, with captain Terry O'Reilly leading the charge, Bruin Peter McNabb pinned down a kicking fan and one of his shoes ended up in Milbury's hand. So Milbury hit the fan with it. All of it was caught on video. O'Reilly was suspended for eight games and Milbury two for the incident.

The Bruins were tough in those day. Milbury made what I thought was a classic move. After he nailed the guy with the shoe, he looked at it, and then tossed it out on to the ice. Classic.

Gary Howett
Bobby Nystrom
Brian Trottier

And the players that I loved on that Bruins team were O'Reilly, Wayne Cashman, Stan Jonathan, and John Wensink (that guy was a real monster). Hockey was fun back then. Yes, it was around the 79 time period.

He was a very tough guy. Always fun to watch. He fought a LOT.

I don't recall it being his shoe, but O'Reilly did go into the stands after some guy and pummelled him. I was such a Bruin fan then...and a Bosox fan...and a Patriots fan...