You would think being a professional athlete in one sport would lead a guy to having a different level of respect for other professionals in the sports world, but New York Jets center Nick Mangold is not shy about being just another crazy loudmouth fan when he is rooting on his beloved New York Rangers.
Mangold and his pals (and 2015 Jets teammates) Ryan Fitzpatrick and Eric Decker took in Game 3 of a first-round Stanley Cup playoff game between the Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins with seats directly behind the Penguins bench.
Mangold took advantage of the seats by getting out of his seat and unleashing a barrage of verbal attacks at the Penguins liked a crazed lunatic. It got so out of hand that security at Madison Square Garden asked him to calm down, according to the New York Post.
Security tells out-of-control Rangers fan Nick Mangold to calm down https://t.co/wUf4MSaiON pic.twitter.com/opWNyieId7
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) April 20, 2016
Who was Mangold focused on? Penguins coach Rick Tocchet and Sidney Crosby, of course.
Mangold, 32, was specifically going at Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet and star center Sidney Crosby, pointing at them, a source said, and was seen leaning over the railing to talk trash. When approached by The Post afterward and asked about it, Mangold walked away, waved his hand and said: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
There was no retaliation from the Penguins bench, although Tocchet engaging in the verbal assaults would have been fun to see.
Instead, Mangold’s abuse of the Penguins was not much to stand in the way of the Penguins taking a commanding 3-0 series lead on the Rangers. The Penguins took a 3-1 victory to put the Rangers on the brink of elimination in Game 4.
You also have to love the expression on Fitzpatrick’s face as Mangold is unloading on the Pens.
