The Night the Bruins Fought the Crowd On December 23, 1979, during a Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, hockey crossed a line it has never crossed again. Late in the game, a fight broke out along the boards. Bruins forward Terry O’Reilly was tangled up near the glass when Rangers fans began leaning over, striking Bruins players with rolled-up programs and fists. One fan repeatedly hit O’Reilly while he was being held. That is when O’Reilly climbed over the glass an