Madison Square Garden is the World’s Most Famous Arena for a reason. Outside of the spectacle of being in the middle of Manhattan, the Garden has been home to thousands of some of the most awe-inspiring moments in sports history.
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers will be remembered for a far different reason however.
After the Lightning’s 3-1 victory of the Blue Shirts Thursday night, a video of a Ranger fan punching a Lightning fan leaving the game went viral.
Police Response at Madison Square Garden
According to the NYPD, another person was also punched after trying to stop the man who knocked the first victim out cold. The NYPD also went on to add the original two men were in an argument following the game before the attacker threw the punch.
A 29-year old man of Staten Island was arrested, taken into custody, and charged with two counts each of assault, disorderly conduct and harassment.
Following the video going viral and police taking the attacker into custody, Madison Square Garden released a statement saying the two victims “received appropriate medical care.”
Madison Square Garden later went on to ban the “assailant” from all MSG venues for life.
“All guests– no matter what team they support — should feel safe and respected in The Garden. This has and always will be our policy.” Madison Square Garden’s statement continued.
The Lightning now lead the Eastern Conference Finals 3-2. Game 6 between the two teams will take place on Saturday night at 8:00pm, ET in Tampa.
For more coverage of the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning series, head to amNY.com.
