It seems just like yesterday, but this will forever be one of the more iconic confrontational moments not only in hockey but in sports period between a fan and a player.
22 years ago, a fan behind the penalty box during a game at the then-named First Union Center in Philadelphia was verbally jousting with Toronto Maple Leafs hard nosed forward Tie Domi, who was currently in the sin bin. Domi reached behind him and squirted the glass the fan was behind with his water bottle, leading to all hell breaking loose:
The fan, who was identified as 36-year old Chris Falcone, lunged at Domi over the glass, which would eventually give way. Into the box spilled Falcone, instantly triggering a scuffle between the two until linesman Kevin Collins was able to help break things up.
"That hasn't happened to me since I was 15 years old in juniorhockey. It was a mascot," Domi said afterward. "Hey, that's old-timehockey. It was perfect."
"They threw stuff at me. Once was enough," Domi continued. "After the second one, I told the guy in the penalty box that after onemore I was going to squirt water. So I squirted water. I didn'tplan on fighting anybody."