Comparing The Rempe Suspension With The 1953 Boom Boom Geoffrion Rangers Episode

The four-game suspension of Matt Rempe immediately reminds The Maven of one of the most brutal attacks in hockey history and I was a witness.

I happened to be vice-president of the New York Rangers Fan Club at the time -- December 20, 1953 -- when the Montreal Canadiens played the Blueshirts at the old Garden.

This was a keen rivalry in the six-team NHL and it was evidenced in a long, high sticking brawl along the boards where several players squared off, high sticking and fighting.

Montreal ace Bernie (Boom Boom) Geoffrion was part of one pair of combatants along with young Rangers forward Ron Murphy.

As it happened, somewhere along the way Geoffrion lost his stick while Murphy kept poking the unarmed Hab. Suddenly, Boomer grabbed his stick and menacingly moved in on Murphy and took a "going for the home run" swing at Murphy and missed.

Then he swung again and cracked Murphy directly in the head. Murphy went down in a bloody heap after which the referee and linesmen moved Geoffrion out of danger.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weQXUndRPcw[/embed]

The Ranger suffered a broken jaw and a concussion and was gone for the season. In a curious decision, president Clarence Campbell ruled that Geoffrion could not play against the Rangers for the remainder of the season.

Representing the Fan Club, I wrote to Campbell criticizing what I believe was too light a sentence for Geoffrion's dastardly act.

The NHL Boss did not answer my first letter so I wrote a second one with just asstrong criticism.

This time I received a letter from Campbell, who had been an NHL referee,a Rhodes Scholar and a judge at the Nazi trials after World War II.

It was a surprisingly long letter, defending his decision and that was that.To this day -- 71 years ago -- I still disagree with him.

As for Rempe, I figure two or three games would have done the trick.