FIRE ON THE ICE
Emotions run high as NYPD & FDNY face off
THE MOMENTS of silence were followed by moments of violence.
The 45th annual FDNYNYPD hockey game began Saturday at Madison Square Garden with a pause to honor FDNY Lt. Michael Davidson, killed two days earlier in a Harlem building fire.
The sold-out crowd for the yearly battle between the two departments stood mute to remember the 37-year-old father of four — all 7 or younger.
Emotions ran just as high on the ice once the game started, as a couple of fights erupted and skaters from both teams were dispatched to the penalty box for overzealous antics.
Honored along with Davidson were his fellow firefighters Christopher Zanetis and Christopher Raguso, both killed in a March 15 helicopter crash in Iraq while serving with the New York Air National Guard.
The brother of Firefighter William Tolley, who fell from a Queens roof to his death last April, was cheered at center ice as he arrived to drop the puck for the opening faceoff.
He was accompanied by Tolley’s widow Marie, who appeared choked up as her brother-in-law waved to the crowd in gratitude for their support.
The game was tied 4-4 after regulation, with the firefighters triumphing on their sixth shot in a shootout with the NYPD squad.
The FDNY hockey team, which marked its 50th anniversary this year, leads the series all-time with a mark of 25-18-2.