And now, a holiday classic.
The year was 2006. (Er, I think) The New York Islanders held a special promotion where fans dressed as Santa Claus would get in to their game against the hated New York Rangers for free. Further, all the Santas in the house would get the opportunity to step out onto the ice during the intermission. Why? Eh, why not? How cool is it to step on an NHL ice rink on game night?
So, hundreds of Santas showed up on the Island to enjoy one of sports' roughest rivalries. At the Santa-themed intermission, everything was going well. The sea of red on the ice brought a sense of the joyful Christmas spirit that momentarily distracted the folks in the stands from the harsh realities that A) it was winter in upstate New York, and B) they were New York Islander fans. Then, one Santa reached for his jacket and tore if off to reveal...
A Rangers jersey.
What happened next? Well, anybody who understands the Rangers/Islanders rivalry can probably guess.
But for those who can't, we have Youtube!!
Truth be told, it could have been a LOT uglier. Nevertheless, the Santa Brawl on Long Island is destined to become a holiday classic for years to come.
