The hit burned in the minds of the Detroit players, and on March 26th the following season, all hell broke loose. Darren McCarty attacked Lemieux in retaliation for the hit. He hit Lemieux with a right hook to the side of his head, continuing to hit him until he fell to the ice. In an effort to stave off the blows, Lemieux dropped to the ice and covered his head. McCarty didn't stop, though, and eventually kneed him in the head before officials ended the battle.
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Mile High Hockey's Cheryl Bradley with a hilarious writeup of the infamous scene where McCarty and Lemieux agreed to fight at puck drop and then Lemieux turtled like a bitch because McCarty owned him.
If you're wondering what a rivalry looks like because you weren't around to witness where this all came from, just read this and realize that this night was 15 years ago and stemmed from a game more than 16 years ago. Wings and Avs fans still tell this story completely differently and probably always will. THAT, my friends is what a rivalry does.
When you go over to read, I recommend reading the comments as well. Don't fight with them, please. Just appreciate the level of hate and from where it's borne.
