Former New York Rangers defenseman Lou Fontinato died Sunday at the age of 84, outliving his fierce rival and notorious dismantler Gordie Howe by less than a month.
No cause of death was provided.
In one of the NHL’s most legendary fights, Fontinato skated off the ice at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 1, 1959, with a broken nose and dislocated jaw after a bloody brawl against Mr. Hockey. The feud had been brewing for years, but this run-in was by far the most violent and left Fontinato’s nose as crooked as the stick he dropped seconds after charging Howe.