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Ranger mauled by Gordie Howe outlives him by three weeks

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.