Rolfe was noted for being at the wrong end of a lopsided fight with Dave Schultz in a 4–3 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers in the decisive Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals at The Spectrum on May 5, 1974.

Dispelling any perception that his Rangers teammates were intimidated because they stood by and did nothing, Brad Park sent an email to the New York Post in 2011 stating that the NHL "had brought the third-man-in rule, so someone would have gotten thrown out of the game with a game misconduct for intervening" and that Rolfe "looked me in the eye and said to stay out of it" for that exact reason when Park tried to step in.

[1] Rolfe's career as an active player ended as a result of a left ankle fracture when the blade of his skate caught a rut on Madison Square Garden ice in the second period of an 8–6 Rangers loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 2, 1975.

Team orthopedist Dr. James Nicholas informed him that "there is a real and dangerous risk of reinjury" and advised him to stop playing hockey.

[2][3] Rolfe played a total of 509 NHL regular season games with 25 goals, 125 assists, and 556 penalty minutes.