NYPD-FDNY Charity Hockey Game Erupts in Brawl

The annual charity hockey game between New York City's cops and firefighters turned into an all-out, bench clearing brawl at Long Island's Nassau Coliseum yesterday. With the score tied at 3-3 in the second period, referees struggled to restore order as FDNY and NYPD officers traded punches, leaving the ice scattered with hockey sticks and gloves, Deadspin reports. After a 25-minute delay, the NYPD—which had lost the last five games—went on to win 8-5.

In video of the brawl, shouts of "PD sucks" can be heard from the crowd. "It was reminiscent of the old-time Rangers-Flyers games in the mid-'70s," an NYPD cop who was in the stands tells the New York Post. "I was waiting for [legendary Philadelphia Flyers enforcer] Dave Schultz to come out on the ice." He added that in 20 years of attending the annual game, he had never seen a brawl that size erupt before. The fire and police departments both declined to comment, the AP notes. (More hockey stories.)