Nick Mangold Heckles Penguins, Receives Visit From Security At Rangers Game
Nick Mangold may be a seven-time Pro Bowl center for the New York Jets, but he might just be a better Rangers fan than he is a football player.
On Tuesday night the Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Mangold was there to greet the boys in blue and the visiting Penguins, who he gave more than just a piece of his mind to throughout the night.
Joining Mangold at the game was Jets teammate Eric Decker and free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, both of whom didn't come close to matching Mangold's intensity throughout the game.
According to the New York Post, Mangold was so boisterous in his heckling of the Penguins at the start of the the third period that security actually had to come by and ask Mangold to stop.
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
This isn't the first time that Mangold has attracted some attention at a Rangers game.
MORE: Hartnett: Rangers Need To Figure Out How To Escape Penguins' Trap
Back in January when the Rangers hosted the Dallas Stars, Mangold was spotted banging on the glass and shouting at the Stars' bench throughout the night.
Nick Mangold and Jets go absolutely wild at Rangers game https://t.co/sleoJMhI2M pic.twitter.com/XLWpRC5GXv
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) January 6, 2016
It's nice to see that Mangold has managed to channel all of his on-field aggression into something as noble as cheering on the Rangers and getting under the skin of their opponents.
The Penguins ultimately bested the Rangers 3-1 and took a 2-1 series lead even though Mangold did his part to try and secure a Rangers victory.
Hopefully the team's energy and performance can match his when the Rangers take the ice in Game 4 at the Garden on Thursday night.
Bryan Altman is, for some reason, an unabashed fan of the Rangers, Jets and Mets. If he absolutely had to pick a basketball team it would be the Knicks, but he'd gladly trade them for just one championship for any of his other three teams.
Questions or comments? Feel free to follow Bryan on Twitter or send him an email.