Boston police say the beating of a Montrealer Tuesday night after the hockey game in Boston is an isolated incident.

According to the Boston Herald newspaper, a Montrealer by the name of Jean-Pierre Masse was beaten and kicked in the face several times about 10:20 p.m. after Game 4 of the NHL playoffs in which the Boston Bruins lost 1-0 to the Montreal Canadiens. The incident happened on Causeway St. outside the TD Banknorth Garden, minutes after the game had ended.

Witnesses said Masse, 28, was wearing a red Canadiens jersey as he was walking by a group of about 20 Bruins fans.

“They began yelling things like, ‘Go home, you French (expletive)’ - things like that,” Hugo Contant told the Herald.

He said Masse told the group he didn’t want any trouble, but one of them punched him in the face. His eyeglasses fell off and he fell to the floor. Then one of the men kicked Masse in the face at least twice.

“I thought they would kill him,” he said.

Boston police arrived shortly afterwards and said the man was semi-conscious when he was found and was bleeding from a cut to the head. Police said  the victim was walking down the street celebrating the Canadiens victory over the Bruins when two individuals attacked him.

One of the suspects was wearing a Bruins jersey with Jason Allison’s name on the back, witnesses told police.

Officers arrested Winchester residents Patrick O’Brien and Jared Callen, both 21. They were charged with assault & battery by means of a dangerous weapon, the incident report stated.

Masse was transported to Mass General Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

Boston police officer Eddy Chrispin told The Gazette they incident is considered isolated, and there usually isn’t any violence after a hockey game.

Officers have stepped up their patrol in and around the garden during the playoffs as a precaution, Chrispin said. However, there have not been any other serious incidents.

He said one man was arrested while inside the Garden for disorderly behaviour.

“There definitely are incidents with the consumption of alcohol and the fact that there are a lot of people together and the competitive nature of the games,” he said. “But there hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary.”