NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 10: Fans battle the stick of Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers (not pictured) after he throws it into the crowd following his shutout against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on November 10, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Henrik Lundqvist is probably the most popular Rangers player since Mark Messier was making good on guarantees and skating the Stanley Cup around the Madison Square Garden ice.
But after what went down on Tuesday night in New York, it may be safe to say Ranger Nation has never been as passionate about a Blueshirter as it is with Lundqvist right now.
After making 33 saves and collecting his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes -- as well as setting new franchise marks in goalie appearances and combined regular-season and playoff saves -- Lundqvist was named the game's first star and took the customary skate out to the ice to acknowledge the fans.
Then, as another gesture of appreciation, Lundqvist tossed his stick into the crowd.
And all hell broke loose.
As you can see in the video above (you can also see it here), at least a half-dozen fans got their hands on that stick, and none had any intention of letting go and giving up their claim to it (particularly the guy in the suit who initially nearly got put in a chokehold by the stick).
Here is a good look at that … lucky? … fan.
So … who ended up with the stick. Apparently, Lundqvist. The New York Daily News late Tuesday confirmed what the end of the video showed, that ushers decided that if the fans couldn't play nice with the stick, then nobody could have it, and they took the stick back to the Rangers locker room.
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