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January 30th, 1982: The Water Bottle Incident
To really understand this one, we first need to set the table; as was covered yesterday, NoDak and Wisconsin are at the top of college hockey and the rivalry has never been more bitter. The Sioux had a reputation for being a mean, physical bunch, and they used it to their advantage. The venue for this brawl, the Dane County Coliseum, was widely regarded at the time as one of the wildest environments with some of the rowdiest fans in college puck. The fans sat almost on top of the benches, and they weren't shy.
With the Badgers up 3-0, NoDak forward Cary Eades skated past the Wisconsin bench when Badger John Newberry squirted him in the face with a water bottle (the second time that night he did it to Eades). Eades promptly entered the UW bench to "chat" with Newberry where he was met with a punch from Pat Eithier that set off a powder keg. They fought in the benches, on the ice and in the stands. At one point, a Sioux player and Badger rolled into the Beer Garden where a UW band member dumped a pitcher of beer into the NoDak player's face.
The fight set a WCHA record for the number of suspensions arising from one incident. A scuffle that perfectly embodies how these teams feel about eachother, it's one you really just need to watch (and listen to) to appreciate:
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