User:JJonahJackalope/sandbox
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| Date | January 6, 1972 | |||||||||||||||
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| Arena | Spectrum | |||||||||||||||
| City | Philadelphia | |||||||||||||||
The Blues–Flyers brawl was an incident during a National Hockey League (NHL) regular season ice hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues.
Background
- Game held at the Spectrum on January 6, 1972, between the St. Louis Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers.[1][2]
- Both teams were expansion teams and rivals.[3]
- Both teams joined the league at the same time and were part of a "heated rivalry", per Fox Sports commentator Scott Warmann.[4]
Game
First period
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Second period
- Flyers take the lead with two goals in the second period.[5]
- Following the second goal, Blues coach protested to the referee.[5]
- Blues Coach Al Arbour followed a referee into a tunnel to protest two of his calls.[1]
- Arbour followed the referee to the area where the Zamboni comes out.[4][6]
- Plager later stated it was because of an earlier removal of one of the Blues players and a bad puck drop that resulted in a Flyers goal, THOUGH HE GETS THE PERIODS POSSIBLY WRONG.[4]
- Bob Plager followed Arbour to the ramp.[4]
- The argument was in part regarding a two minute penalty.[7]
- ACTUALLY, Arbour followed Referee Ashley to protest a puck drop that had resulted in a Flyers goal and, while arguing, received a two minute penalty from the referee for unsportsmanlike conduct.[8]
- Garry Unger was the center for the Blues at the time, he said the puck drop happened while he was talking to a winger of his and it caught him by surprise.[6]
- Statement from Plager about the goals, he stated neither should have happened.[3]
- Players from both teams began to return to locker room, but Plager followed Arbour to make sure he was safe.[3]
- Fracas initiated by a fan pouring beer on the ice.[5]
- A fan poured beer on Arbour while arguing with the referee on the ramp.[8]
- Interview by Bob Plager, insert information from interview into article.[1]
Brawl
- Occurred as the Blues were leaving the ice following the end of the second period.[5]
- Brawl occurred at the end of the second period.[7]
- Per NYT report, Blues players came to the defense of their coach and a referee after fans started pelting both of them with trash and beer while they were arguing on the ramp.[7]
- According to Plager, a fan spilled his drank and swung something at Arbour, prompting a confrontation between Plager and the fans.[4]
- Plager led Blues players to the ramp and over barricades into stands to protect their coach.[8]
- Barclay and Billy Plager, Bob's brothers who were also on the Blues, quickly joined him into the stands.[4]
- According to Flyers founder Ed Snider, Arbour reached into the stands and was struck with a baton from a police officer, leading to more mayhem.[8]
- Snider had been seated near the area, statement from him on the scuffle.[8]
- Phil Roberto said he grabbed the police officer who had struck Arbour and put him into a chokehold because he was afraid he would hit Arbour again.[6]
- Statement from Roberto about "dying" for Arbour and how he had immense support from his players.[6]
- AFTER FAN CONFRONTATION DUE TO SPILLING DRINK, THEN POLICE STRUCK AL ARBOUR, WHICH HAPPENED AFTER A SQUAD OF POLICE OFFICERS WERE CALLED.[4]
- Players rushed the stands to protect their coach, who had pieces of clothing removed from his body and received a cut on the back of his head.[7]
- All three Plager brothers, who were Blues players, were involved in the fight and climbed into the stands.[3]
- Statement from Bob Plager about pulling on a police officer who had a billy stick.[9]
- According to Plager, police attacked Arbour with a nightstick, after which Plager attempted to intervene and was struck with one himself.[1]
- Arbour stated that, after the beer was poured on him, he tripped over a police officer and was struck by another officer and, later, a fan while attempting to get up.[3]
- Ten Blues players became involved in the brawl, which lasted 25 minutes until about 200 police arrived and directed Blues players to their locker room.[7]
- Lasted 25 minutes and involved 200 police officers.[3]
- Prior to the brawl, Flyers players had already returned to their locker room area.[8]
- Garry Unger, Blues player, began to swing his stick around in the stands.[8]
-Flyers giveaway promotion that night resulted in many fans having replica hockey sticks, which they used to strike back at Blues players.[10]
- During the fight, a 16 year old placed a phone call to the police headquarters, later received a letter of commendation from the police department for his actions.[10]
- Statement from police officer who arrived, "Blues' sticks against our batons".[10]
- Police placed several Blues players in handcuffs, but eventually made agreement with referees to allow the game to finish.[10]
- Tommy Woodcock, trainer for the Blues, had to sharpen many of the skates because they had become dulled by players wearing them into the stands.[11]
- Statement from multiple Blues players regarding the brawl.[12]
Third period
- Melee caused a 45-minute delay to the game.[5]
- Gary Miller, sportswriter for Post-Dispatch, said that police initially wanted to arrest the entire Blues team.[6]
- Delay was because the skates had to be resharpened.[6]
- Tommy Woodcock spent about "one hour" sharpening skates.[4]
- Initial discussion on cancelling the game, but the game continued after the fight.[9][4]
- Coach Arbour coached in sports jacket and sleeveless undershirt due to damage to his clothes.[10]
- Arbour coached in a blazer and a t-shirt because his dress shirt had become bloody.[9]
- Only one penalty called in the third period after the brawl.[1]
- Blues rallied, scored three goals in third period to win.[5]
- Blues won game 3 to 2.[13][7][2][11]
- Plager flashed several hand gestures to the audience following the game.[10]
Aftermath
- Described by NYT as a "near-riot" and a "melee-filled" game.[5]
- One policeman was injured and others were pushed.[5]
- Mayor Rizzo ordered a paddy wagon to the Spectrum and had several players and the coach arrested.[10]
- The arrested were taken to the police location at 24th Street and Wolf Street.[10]
- Police waited until after the players had showered and dressed out of their hockey uniforms.[11]
- Four Blues team members arrested after game and spent a night in jail.[13]
- Three players spent a night in jail.[1]
- LIST OF THOSE ARRESTED, including the coach.[5]
- Statement from Bob Plager, Blues player, about avoiding jail time.[13]
- At start of third period, police recorded jersey numbers from Blues players leaving locker room.[9][4]
- Plager saw the police and opted to remain in the locker room for a few additional minutes to avoid suspicion.[1][11][4]
- Plager's strategy worked, as police used jersey numbers collected prior to the third period to make their arrests.[11]
- Multiple Blues team members required stitches from injuries sustained during the fray.[5]
- Arbour received a cut that required ten stitches.[7][8]
- According to Plager, Al Arbour required over 30 stitches.[1]
- Al Arbour required about a dozen stitches.[9]
- John Arbour required 30 stitches.[9]
- John Arbour (unrelated to coach), another player on the Blues, required 40 stitches for gash on back of head.[7][10]
- 6 a.m. on January 7: Snider, Flyers owner, came to police station and bailed the four people out with a $2,000 bail.[10]
- Each person was released on a $500 bail each.[11][12]
- Statement from Snider.[10]
- Miller and Blues owner Salomon followed the players to the police building.[6]
- Four fans received minor injuries and were treated by medical staff at the Spectrum.[7]
- No fans were arrested.[7]
- Two police officers suffered minor injuries, statement from one of them regarding that here.[7]
- Two police officers, a 14 year old fan, and a middle aged woman all suffered minor injuries.[9]
- Statement from Mayor Frank Rizzo regarding the scuffle.[8]
- Front page headline on the Philadelphia Daily News for January 7.[14]
- January 7, 1972: NHL President Clarence Campbell declined to make a statement, saying he needed more facts on the case.[7]
- Overnight, players and coach fingerprinted and interrogated by police, according to Arbour.[7]
- January 7, 1972: Day after the game, three players and the coach of St. Louis Blues arraigned with disorderly conduct and assault and battery on police officers.[7]
- Charges of conspiracy were dropped at a hearing on January 7.[7]
-- Charge was possibly "conspiracy to incite a riot".[12]
- January 7, 1972: UPI reported that St. Louis Blues President Sidney Salomon Jr. was planning to fight the assault charges against his team members, stating from him criticizing the Philadelphia police department and the Flyers management.[7]
- Salomon called the incident one of "police brutality".[7][10][9]
- Roberto said Salomon was "livid".[6]
- In front of judge, during initial arraignment, all of the players told the judge their address was the address for the arena in St. Louis.[6]
- Players and coach were able to meet up with the rest of the team at their hotel before their flight home.[6]
- Preliminary hearing scheduled for February 7, day after another Blues-Flyers game, info on what they could face.[7]
- Middle of 1972: The arrested players held a meeting with NHL president, but all criminal charges against them were dropped.[12]
- Roberto was happy about this, as a criminal record could have jeopardized their ability to play hockey in the United States.[6]
- Plager arrested decades later???[11]
- 2020: Described by KSDK as "one of the worst player-fan-police fights in hockey history".[1]
- 2022: KSDK described it as the "wildest night in franchise history".[6]
- 2020: Statement from Plager about the attitude towards something similar nowadays, could result in a lifetime suspension.[1][12]
- Later statement from Plager about how crazy of a game hockey is and how "it was fun" (near end of video).[6]
- Game became a "rallying point" for the Blues, who later made it to the Stanley Cup semifinals.[6]
- ONE OF THE BOOKS MENTIONS THIS GAME AS AN EARLY IPMETUS FOR THE START OF THE BROAD STREET BULLIES, FIND IT AGAIN.
- Fox News commentator (GET HIS NAME) said the Blues' success against the Flyers, including in this game, prompted the start of the Broad Street Bullies days for the Flyers.[4]
- Blues proceeded to go 16 years until they beat the Flyers in the Spectrum again.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Quinn, Kay (March 5, 2020). "A look back at the worst player-fan-police fight in hockey history — and it involved the Blues". KSDK. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Sherman 2003, p. 30.
- ^ a b c d e f Rutherford 2014, p. 112.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Bob Plager talks Blues vs. Flyers fans fight of 1972". FoxSports.com. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Blues Subdue Flyers, 3‐2, After Fighting With Fans". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 7, 1972. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "1972: Looking back on the Blues' wild brawl in Philly". KSDK. January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Coach of Blues, 3 Players Accused of Assault in Fight". The New York Times. United Press International. January 8, 1972. p. 35. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Macnow & Gargano 2003, p. 44.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rutherford 2014, p. 113.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Macnow & Gargano 2003, p. 46.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rutherford 2014, p. 114.
- ^ a b c d e Miller, Corey (January 10, 2022) [January 6, 2022]. "'The locker room was full of policemen': Looking back on the 50th anniversary of the Blues' brawl in Philadelphia". KSDK. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c Wicentowski, Danny (March 25, 2021). "Remembering Blues' Legend Bob Plager's Craziest Fight". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Macnow & Gargano 2003, p. 45.
Further reading
- O'Neill, Dan (February 2, 2017). "'True Blue' Bobby Plager's night is 50 years in the making". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lee Enterprises. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- "1972: The night all hell broke loose in Philly". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lee Enterprises. January 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
Sources
- Macnow, Glen; Gargano, Anthony L. (2003). "Great Moments 1: Battling the Blues". The Great Philadelphia Fan Book. Foreword by Pat Croce. Moorestown, New Jersey: Middle Atlantic Press. pp. 44–46. ISBN 978-0-9705804-4-3.
- Rutherford, Jeremy (2014). "Mayhem in Philadelphia". 100 Things Blues Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Foreword by Brett Hull. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 111–114. ISBN 978-1-62368-283-5.
- Sherman, David (2003). "1971–72: High Hopes and Heartbreak". The Philadelphia Flyers Encyclopedia. With Howard Jaffe; Foreword by Keith Jones. Sports Publishing. pp. 29–34. ISBN 978-1-58261-577-6.
External links
SWEET GUM HEAD / MARTIN PADGETT / BILL SMITH (Atlanta LGBT history topics)
LIST OF GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKERS (base it off of list of New Hampshire historical markers, but year instead of number)
EDGERTON, PENNSYLVANIA (abandoned coal mining town)
1914 PRAIRIE CREEK MINE STRIKE, SEBASTIAN COUNTY, ARKANSAS
SHAKESPEARE MEMORIAL, PHILADELPHIA
1919 KNOXVILLE STREETCAR STRIKE (Use "Labor Conflict in Urban Appalachia: The Knoxville Streetcar Strike of 1919" by James A. Burran, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Spring 1979).
MUSKEGON MUSEUM OF ART
2023 UAW MACK TRUCKS STRIKE
REBELS WITH A CAUSE, urban youth organization led by Eartha Kitt
AMERICAN LEAGUE OF COLORED LABORERS
ROME SIT-INS
SWIFT'S PEANUT PORK FACTORY STRIKE, interracial strike that occurred in post-WWII Moultrie, GA (mentioned in Beyond Atlanta)
ANDERSON PARK, ATLANTA (mentioned in Beyond Atlanta)
JUNE 1943 RACE RIOT AT CAMP STEWART, GEORGIA (reported by the New York Times)
SIBLEY COMMISSION, GEORGIA (mentioned in Beyond Atlanta)
STATUE OF HENRY CLAY, LEXINGTON CEMETERY
BEAR CREEK MAROON NEAR SAVANNAH
1918-1919 SAVANNAH STREETCAR STRIKE
1915 PITTSBURGH STREETCAR STRIKE
1914 MONAGHAN MILL STRIKE
Upload images from THE UPWARD PATH by Mary Helm on Internet Archive
WILLIAM M. REILLY MEMORIAL, PHILADELPHIA
1917 TEXAS GULF COAST OIL STRIKE
THE PILGRIM by John Quincy Adams Ward
JOSEPH GABRIEL STARKE, Australian politician
1933 FUNSTEN NUT STRIKE
1916 MESABI IRON RANGE STRIKE, IWW
WHALEMAN STATUE, NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS
STATUE OF NICHOLAS HERKIMER
HERKIMER MONUMENT
STATUE OF THOMAS LOWRY, MINNEAPOLIS
MINGOE, 1691 RAIDERS
1915 ARIZONA MINERS STRIKE, COPPER MINES, 8,000 MINERS (also possibly known as Clifton-Morenci-Metcalf Strike)
1947 TERRYTOONS STRIKE
1831 SNOW TOWN RIOT, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
1898 by Andrew O'Connor
HILLANDALE FARMS FIRE
1970 ASBURY REVIVAL
1891 SAVANNAH DOCK WORKERS STRIKE (Philip S. Foner wrote about this in The Black Worker Vol. III)
PROPOSED WASHINGTON MONUMENT IN NEW YORK CITY (look up Atlas Obscura article)
1938 philly city workers strike plaque at city hall
PRESIDENTIAL STATUES IN RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
PRESIDENTS NORTH CAROLINA GAVE THE NATION, monument at the NC State House