Linesmen Prevented Fight With Concussions on His Mind

Andre Deveaux didn’t know who had hit him, so when the Rangers’ forward rose from the ice on Sept. 26 after a devastating blow from behind in a preseason game by the Flyers’ Tom Sestito, he grabbed the first black-and-orange-clad player he saw, defenseman Matt Walker.

But a linesman jumped in before Deveaux could retaliate.

“He said that I might have a concussion,” Deveaux said after practice recently, recounting the lineman’s caution during the preseason. “So he told us we shouldn’t risk anything further.”