Rangers’ Edstrom is doing well in his first NHL fight

GREENBURGH – For someone who had never done it before, Adam Edstrom certainly looked like he knew what he was doing Saturday night in his second period battle with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain during the Rangers’ home opener at Madison Square Garden.

“Yeah, that’s the first one,” Edstrom said after the Rangers’ optional practice Sunday when asked if this was his first hockey fight.

Edstrom, the 6-6 rookie from Sweden (he was previously listed at 6-7, but the Rangers have overhauled that this season) celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday, and he got into the middle of a wild second in his first fight. period in the Rangers’ 6-5 overtime loss. On the faceoff, after K’Andre Miller’s goal in the second period put the Rangers up 4-3, Edstrom drove up the middle and fired a shot that forced a save from Utah goalie Connor Ingram. Edstrom’s friend Matt Rempe had also driven hard to the net and pushed Utah defenseman Juuso Valimaki into the crease, sparking a scrum.

As soon as it started, Rangers center Sam Carrick and Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring broke free and started throwing punches at each other along the sideboards. As that was happening, McBain, a 6-4, 219 center who had scored a goal in the match, joined Edstrom and dropped his gloves. Immediately Edstrom dropped his and it was on. Edstrom landed only one punch, but it was a thunderous overhand right that struck the helmetless McBain flush in the temple and left him bloodied.

Edstrom said he was willing to fight because he got tips from the 6-9 Rempe (his listed height went up). He has been almost inseparable from Rempe in the Rangers locker room since the two came over from AHL Hartford last season.

“Oh, we just go out there sometimes and wrestle around, and show holds and stuff like that,” Rempe said when asked about his combat tutelage. “He’s a big, strong man, so he can take care of himself.”

But as he sat next to Edstrom Sunday in the locker, Rempe grinned like a proud big brother.

“It was great,” he said. “I was really excited for him.”

Edstrom and McBain both received game misconduct penalties for their fight, as Carrick and Kesselring were already fighting by the time they dropped their gloves. Edstrom said he had no idea Carrick and Kesselring were arguing.

“No, I didn’t,” he said. “I think that fight started behind my back, and we got into some sort of scrum, net front, I think. And then it happened.”

While talking about the adrenaline rush he got from the fight, Edstrom made it sound like he might want to do it again at some point.

“I mean, yeah, it was okay,” he said. “Also ‘Big up’ to that guy (McBain). He’s not a little boy either. But I mean, we were scrapping, so yeah, it was fun.”

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was impressed with Edstrom’s performance, saying, “I thought he did well in the scrimmage.”

Laviolette was asked what it could mean for Edstrom as a player if fighting is now part of his game.

“Anytime you add layers to your game, you add pieces that can help the team, that’s a good thing,” he said.

Colin Stephenson covers Rangers for Newsday. He has covered the NHL and virtually every sports team in the New York metropolitan area for more than two decades.