Arn
Active member
disco said:
Just got home to Belfast this morning so I shall tackle a few of these now!
MSG is a really nice arena. It was much lighter than I was expecting having come across very dark on TV a lot of times I've watched. Concession areas were all very shiny but you could tell it was an old building spruced up.
There was a pre-game ceremony for Steven McDonald, a policeman who was shot and paralysed in the mid 1980s and who then continued to work but died recently and his funeral had been that day. I believe he gave his name to an award within the Rangers franchise. His wife and son dropped the ceremonial face off and they had a moments cheering/applause rather than silence. I often find in the USA these things can sometimes seem quite over the top, but this one I thought was very classy.
They definitely played up the "original Six" aspect of the match up quite a bit. I always find NHL crowds to be quite different in terms of atmosphere to Europe. It's a bit more controlled and quiet. But there's nothing else I've ever experienced in sport quite like a New York team crowd losing at home. They turn pretty quickly.
I was at centre ice but in the back rows of the upper bowl. I actually prefer a higher up view cos I enjoy trying to watch how play develops and seeing how teams are set out. There was a decent scattering of Leafs fans in the blocks around me. I'd say a good few dozen in total.
I'm guessing it was a post Christmas lull but New York was manageably busy. It wasn't as jam packed and hectic as I've seen it in the past. It's an absolutely incredible city though. I had the pleasure of spending some time working there about 15 years ago and had been back quite regularly. This was my first time back in 9 years and there's been a lot of changes. It's a magical city to visit.
