Trash Talking Tampa Bay Lightning Fan Gets Knocked Out By New York Rangers Supporter

Update: That knockout throwing Rangers fan is now banned for life from Madison Square Garden.

Original: The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning’s NHL Eastern Conference Finals series has been a contentious affair. New York defenseman Jacob Trouba has been headhunting ever since the playoffs started. Now, the Rangers’ fans are getting involved as well.

During last night’s pivotal game 5 at Madison Square Garden, tensions were running high. On the ice, the game was tight until the very end. In the stands, visiting Tampa fans were given a less-than-warm welcome. After Tampa took a 3-2 series lead, things got ugly as fans exited the building.

At one point, a trash-talking Lightning fan was making his way through the concourse of the world’s most famous arena. He appeared to be running his mouth but was doing so with a smile on his face. One Rangers fan had seen enough and responded in the form of a brutal sucker punch.

A video posted on Twitter shows the Rangers fan knocking the Lightning supporter out with one punch. The New York partisan simply kept walking as others scrambled to offer assistance. The person taking the video speculated that the fan might have died.

The Tampa Bay supporter did not move for quite a while after being punched. Security swarmed the area to get control and see what was going on. Confused patrons tried to explain what happened to several men in suits.

There was no update on the condition of the injured fan. It was certainly a knockout blow, though. This is just the latest in an ongoing series of violent acts taking place at professional sporting events.