NEW YORK (AP) — Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and his New Jersey Devils counterpart Jacob Markstrom had a lengthy fight midway through the third period of the Rangers' 4-1 win Tuesday night.
The netminders fought at 9:05 of the third period near the Rangers' net after Shesterkin was part of a larger scrum behind the goal involving most other players on ice. Both goaltenders removed their helmets and exchanged punches — with Shesterkin landing more blows to his Swedish opponent.
"I'd like to thank my boxing coach,'' Shesterkin quipped after the game.
In a mostly dismal home season for the Rangers — with just 12 wins in 37 games at Madison Square Garden — the spirited fisticuffs between goalies brought some of the loudest cheers of the year from the home crowd.
"We needed that,'' Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. "There hasn’t been, unfortunately, a lot to cheer about early this year. To have a moment like that, it’s really special.”
Markstrom left his crease and skated the length of the ice where he and Shesterkin brought the crowd to its feet with the rare goaltender-versus-goaltender battle.
“It shows his character, shows he's a competitor,'' Devils captain Nico Hischier said of Markstrom's willingness to fight. ”It's huge for us ... I know Markie is an emotional guy. That's what you want to see in your team."
Shesterkin punctuated the fight by wrestling Markstrom to the ice, bringing even louder roars from the crowd.
“It was a great fight. I didn’t know Shesty had that in him,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said.
Rangers fans continued to chant “Igor, Igor," in support of their combative goaltender as play resumed, and the Rangers went on to win their third-straight home game in decisive fashion.
Shesterkin and Markstrom each received five minutes for fighting and two minutes for leaving their creases.
“I felt like I needed to do something,'' Markstrom said about entering the fracas at the other end of the rink. ”It's adrenaline. You just go there and swing for the fences."
Miller lauded his team's star Russian netminder, who has 186 victories in seven seasons as a Ranger — and now one prolonged fight — on his resume.
“It's just so rare, unexpected,'' Miller said. ”That was just old-school ... I think it was great for our team to see that. To see what a goalie can do — obviously goalies aren't fighting that often — to see him have him have our back and stick up for himself obviously sends a message that he's such a leader for us."
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New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) stops a shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators Monday, March 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bruce Springsteen was in a defiant but upbeat mood as he returned Tuesday night to the “Streets of Minneapolis" to launch his latest U.S. tour, denouncing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the city and opening with a not-so-veiled salvo against the war in Iran
Springsteen kicked off his “Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour” at the packed Target Center. He previously honored the city’s residents in song for their courage in standing up against the estimated 3,000 federal officers that President Donald Trump’s administration sent in what it called its largest immigration enforcement action anywhere in the country.
“We are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals," Springsteen said. "Democracy, our Constitution and our sacred American promise, the America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration.”
The Boss then asked the crowd to join “in choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, unity over and peace over ... ” before exploding into a thunderous version of “War," a song he has sung since war clouds loomed over the Reagan administration.
After Springsteen and the E Street Band launched into “Born in the U.S.A.” and a few other fan favorites, he stood alone at center stage with just a quiet accompaniment for “Streets of Minneapolis," a song he penned in January amid the nationwide outcry over the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers. Thousands of audience members held their lit-up phones aloft in tribute.
After E Streeters including Steve Van Zandt and Max Weinberg joined in, Springsteen led fans in four chants of the song's signature line, “ICE Out Now,” as the house lights came up.
Springsteen played a solo version of “Streets of Minneapolis" Saturday during the national flagship “No Kings” rally at the state Capitol in St. Paul. On Tuesday night, he repeated his statement: “The solidarity of the people of Minneapolis, of Minnesota, was an inspiration to the entire country.”
“We’ll take our stand for this land/And the stranger in our midst/We’ll remember the names of those who died/On the streets of Minneapolis,” he sang.
There's no love lost between Springsteen and Trump, who have long feuded. During his European tour last year, Springsteen slammed the Trump administration as a “rogue government” of people who have “no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.”
Trump, in turn, has called Springsteen a “dried-out prune of a rocker.” In a social media post, the president once wrote, “Never liked him, never liked his music or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — just a pushy, obnoxious JERK,” he wrote on social media.
Springsteen has long emphasized socially conscious music, which brings up another Minnesota connection. In 1984, when he released his album “Born in the U.S.A.,” with its title cut, an often-misunderstood lament of a disillusioned Vietnam veteran, he kicked off his tour in St. Paul.
Springsteen told a New York City audience last week, during a 30th anniversary celebration for the independent news program “Democracy Now!,” that his tour will head next to Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, “two other cities where they had to deal with ICE, ICE’s terror.” It ends May 27 in Washington, D.C., where he said he’ll have a few choice words for the White House.
Becky Stunc, 75, came to Minneapolis from Sandpoint, Idaho. “I really want to make my voice known for what Bruce represents,” she said. "And our country.”
Stunc said she found “Streets of Minneapolis" especially moving, with its reference to the spots where Good and Pretti fell as “where mercy should have stood.”
Peter Somers, 46, of Rochester, Minnesota, brought his 11-year-old son, Jack, saying he was glad that Springsteen was "standing up with people for America and democracy.”
“He’s a legend,” Somers said. “And it’s Jack’s first concert ever. What better first concert to ever have than Springsteen?”
Bruce Springsteen performs during tthe "No Kings" protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
Bruce Springsteen performs during tthe "No Kings" protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
Bruce Springsteen performs during tthe "No Kings" protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
Bruce Springsteen performs during tthe "No Kings" protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
