By now you know that New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella has been suspended for one game for his actions during a confrontation with a fan during Game 5 of his team's first round playoff series with the Washington Capitals. That means that New York Rangers assistant head coach Jim Schoenfeld -- no stranger to postseason hockey on the ice or behind the bench -- will take control when the puck drops for Game 6.But while plenty of folks may be wondering how Schoenfeld performs, I'm hoping that somebody -- the NHL and Madison Square Garden security in particular -- has an eye out for what goes on behind the visiting bench.
We all know that Rangers fans have something of a reputation around the league when it comes to in-game behavior, and something tells me that the folks who will be sitting behind the bench this afternoon are going to do their level best to bait Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau into a similar confrontation.
Having watched Boudreau operate up close for the last 18 months or so, I have a hard time seeing him getting drawn into something like that, especially after his team has spent the entire series ignoring the antics of Sean Avery (who by the way will be back in the lineup today) and getting the better of him. Then again, if Boudreau refuses to respond to the inevitable challenges, I can certainly see a situation where a Rangers fan down low might want to take the situation into his own hands.
