A switch flipped. A goal was scored. And a very Philadelphia celebration ensued.
I laughed so hard, I nearly cried. Then hit rewind.
“Nothing surprises me about the city and the way people act,” former Philadelphia Flyer Dan “Car Bomb” Carcillo told reporters after his new team, the New York Rangers, beat Philly 4-1 in Game 3 on Tuesday.
The unlikely goal-scorer was referring to the orange-and-black fans’ double-bird taunts he stared in the face after coasting to the glass midway through the third period. Dan Carcillo screamed right back at the Philly faithful because he’s Dan Carcillo. It is one of the most incredible celebrations you’ll see, bound to be clipped for emotional #BecauseItsTheCup highlight montages in the future:
Carcillo — a fresh, wild-card addition to the Blueshirts lineup after sitting out games 1 and 2 — had just tipped in a Brian Boyle pass, giving New York a two-goal advantage they would never surrender.
“Dan’s an experienced player. He brings energy to a team,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said pregame, providing a little foreshadowing. “He’s a hard, smart player; he goes to the tough areas and when he has the opportunity to lay a good, physical hit he does that. With him in our lineup this year we’ve had a very good record.”
The 29-year-old Carcillo played 153 games with the Flyers from 2009 to 2011. He originally endeared himself as an energetic pest, the guy you want on your side. But most Philly fans grew tiresome of his reckless style and foolish penalties — the reason why he’s on his sixth NHL franchise before his 30th birthday.
Carcillo had just three goals and 43 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Rangers this season after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in January, but ironically it was a poor penalty call — a “hook” that was more of a deft stick lift — that ticked him off and perhaps fuelled his drive for payback.