Revisiting the Mayhem: Flyers and Senators Throw Down in Historic Brawl
The March 5, 2004 matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators was expected to be a little physical. An incident occurred between these two teams when they met a week earlier. Martin Havlat slashed Mark Recchi in the face, a transgression that fetched Havlat a five-minute major, a game misconduct, and a two-game suspension. Post-game comments from Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock and Recchi hinted at revenge.
“Someday, someone's going to make him eat his lunch,” Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock said. “This is something, in my opinion, that the players should take care of.”
From Recchi:
“It might not come from our team. But he better protect himself.”
Havlat returned from his suspension in time for the March 5 game. What transpired in the third period ironically didn’t involve Havlat, but went down in the history books anyway.
