[VIDEO] The last bench-clearing brawl in the NHL during live play

Although the NHL takes a lot of grief for its leniency on fighting (with some calling to remove fighting completely), the last bench-clearing brawl during live play occurred 28 years ago.

On February 26, 1987, the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche) were playing the Boston Bruins.

It was a notoriously chippy game with Boston taking a commanding lead.  And then an on-ice skirmish erupted, which resulted in the last bench-clearing brawl during live play.

(Note: There have been 9 more bench clearers, the last happening in 1996, but those all occurred before the game, after the game, or during intermission.)

Sports Illustrated shares how Rule 70.1 was implemented in the 1987 offseason:

When order finally was restored, referee Terry Gregson assessed game-misconduct penalties to six players from Boston and and three from the Nordiques, along with 11 fighting majors and six minor penalties. The Bruins ended up with 96 penalty minutes to Quebec’s 71. Although the Nords were energized by the contretemps, the B’s were able to close out a memorable 6–2 win.

It’s no accident that there hasn’t been a fight quite like it ever since. That summer the NHL imposed Rule 70.1, which mandated 10-game suspensions and maximum $10,000 fines for any player who left the bench for the purpose of engaging in a fight.

There have been individual players tagged by that rule—most recently, David Clarkson in the 2013–14 preseason—but it has worked to keep most players planted on the bench and has essentially put an end to bench-clearing brawls in the NHL.

So, let’s jump back to 1987 and take a look at that historical event: