Nick Mangold was that guy at Tuesday night’s Rangers playoff game, the overzealous fan who wouldn’t stop harassing the opponent. He just happens to be a professional athlete, too, a seven-time Pro Bowl center for the Jets.
Which made his constant trash talk – mostly directed at Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet and star center Sidney Crosby — during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Garden so funny to his victims. Mangold was seen hanging over the railing behind the Penguins bench and banging on the glass. He even talked trash to them in the tunnel before they took the ice for the third period. Security went over to talk to Mangold a few times to calm him down.
“He’s into it. He had the Rangers jersey on and stuff like that,” said Tocchet, who immediately recognized Mangold Tuesday night, after Penguins practice on Wednesday. “It’s harmless. He’s a good football player.
“I love when you get into opposing buildings and you get the rowdy fans. I just don’t like the smashing on the glass. That was the only thing we were getting pissed about. But, look, he’s fine.”
It didn’t distract the Penguins from taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 3-1 victory.
“I thought it was pretty funny,” Penguins center Eric Fehr said. “It is a little bit surprising, because [he’s] been on the other end of it. You’re taught to ignore it. It really doesn’t rattle you. It’s more funny than anything.”
When Tocchet was shown the photo that appeared in Wednesday’s Post of the 32-year-old Mangold leaning over the railing and yelling at him, the assistant coach said: “Oh, man, he looks pissed. Wow.”
His issue was how close Mangold was able to get to the Penguins players in the tunnel before the third period.
“I think we got to maybe address that,” the assistant coach said.
Tocchet said he responded to Mangold’s taunts once, but declined to elaborate on what was said. When asked if he could go toe to toe with the 6-foot-4, 307-pound Mangold if they dropped the gloves, he laughed.
“There’s only one chance: If he has skates on,” joked Tocchet, an accomplished fighter in his day. “If we got cleats on, I got no chance.”
Crosby said he only noticed Mangold once and didn’t hear any of the trash talk he was spewing. Like his teammates, he didn’t have an issue with it.
“If he comes to the game and wants to do that, he’s got his ticket, he can do what he wants,” Crosby said. “It’s not typically what you’re used to, but at the same time, I don’t have a problem with it. It’s all part of the intensity of the game.”
Maybe Mangold was merely angry at the city of Pittsburgh because the Steelers have defeated the Jets in three of their past four meetings, including the 2010 AFC Championship Game. Tocchet felt Mangold should’ve directed his anger elsewhere.
“There were some Giants in the stands, take it out on them,” he said with a smile. “They’ve won two Super Bowls [since Mangold has been with the Jets]. Don’t get mad at us. Get mad at the Giants.”