New York Rangers (National Hockey League) @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
I FINALLY talk about the National Hockey League
2026: New Venue #28
I've actually been to Madison Square Garden before, but as this is my first sporting event here, I'm marking this as a "new venue".
I've mentioned that hockey is probably my favorite winter sport to watch, but the National Hockey League is currently the only major sports league that has yet to feature on this blog. Well, that changes today, because I'm writing about the NHL for the first time...ever!
I'm not sure how many NHL games I've been to vs. MLB games (as I've only seen NHL games at TWO buildings prior to this game1), but the last NHL game I went to was a preseason game in October 2024 - JUST before I started writing about things that aren't baseball or college hockey. It was the Rangers and Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, and while it did feature almost none of either team's NHL squads as both teams were in Europe (though there was one Jakub Zboril), the Devils had a certain (almost) famous name in net: Jeremy Brodeur, son of franchise legend Martin Brodeur (whom I actually got to see at least three times).
That aside, I'm not going to discuss my NHL allegiances here, but as a reminder: I live in New Jersey - to be more specific, North Jersey2. In my experience, this area seems rather split between two major hockey teams: the aforementioned New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers; while most folks I've met are Devils fans (such as many of the people I went to high school with), I feel like I know a fair amount of Ranger fans from the area. Whether that be due to the Rangers having been around 56 years longer than the Devils or Christians who cannot get behind supporting a team named the "Devils" I don't know, but one thing I do know: the fans of each team HATE the other team.
HOWEVER...
Despite them being the "closer" team (and also the team I THINK I've seen the most amongst the major North American leagues), the thing that prevents me from going to more Devils games (outside of ticket prices): Prudential Center's location. While downtown Newark isn't necessarily the worst place in the world, speaking from experience...it's not exactly "great". Yes, there are a number of parking lots very close to the arena, but given that they're arena lots, they're not exactly "cheap" for events; my dad was a monthly pass holder in one of the garages pre-COVID (as his office was a few blocks away), and he'd have to move his car prior to events to avoid having to pay event rates. In addition, while there is moderately convenient train service to the arena (as Newark Penn Station is connected via an elevated walkway), getting there from where I live is fairly awkward due to the "set up" of the city's trains; the station nearest me does not have direct access to Newark Penn, so I'd need to take a "connecting" train to get from Newark Broad Street to Newark Penn Station (and speaking from personal experience: both Newark Penn Station and Newark Broad Street are not the kind of places you want to be at for long periods of time - even in broad daylight)3.
The Rangers, on the other hand, are somehow better located despite being further away. Sure, driving into New York City sucks and parking is even worse, but unlike the Devils, trains are WAY more convenient, as their arena sits atop New York Penn Station - America's busiest train hub with direct connection to my station. Yes, it does feature a few...interesting sights (especially if you're there at 2 AM - something that I've done once before), but with just how much more "normal" people there are (because of Amtrak AND LIRR), it doesn't feel as "bad" as either Newark station. Also, I feel like I can at least "get behind" the Rangers WAY more than I ever could with the Yankees (some of that being the "James Dolan pity effect"), so going to a game at Madison Square Garden - the self proclaimed "World's Most Famous Arena" - is definitely something I felt I'd be interested in. One thing you may not have known about the building: it's not the original Madison Square Garden.
Madison Square Garden was first opened in 1879 and named after a nearby public park4, but was apparently so dangerous that it was closed about ten years later. Its replacement - also named Madison Square Garden and built in the same area as the original arena - opened in 1890, but was closed in 1925 - one year before the Rangers debuted. A THIRD Madison Square Garden opened in 1925 and was the original home of the Rangers - despite being NOWHERE close to Madison Square (it was just northwest of Times Square). This MSG lasted until 1968, when the fourth (and current) Madison Square Garden was opened in the heart of Midtown Manhattan (and by virtue of it being nearly 60 years old, it holds the title of "longest lasting Madison Square Garden").
I mentioned earlier that the arena is on top of Penn Station; this has been fairly controversial since the building opened, as it replaced an ornate station building with, in essence, brutal and dimly lit concourses. In an attempt to revive the "vibe", there were calls to "move" the arena yet again, but between New York City being New York City and MSG (the company that owns the arena) refusing to leave, not much happened over the years. Eventually, Penn Station expanded itself into a nearby building which was largely vacant prior to the renovations, but that's getting WAY off topic (and also it's hard to "use" it if you're an NJ Transit customer like me), so let's get back to the arena.
Given its location in the heart of Manhattan, it should come as no surprise that it's one of New York's most prestigious concert venues in addition to being the home of the Rangers and Knicks. In fact, while this is the first time I've been to MSG for a sporting event, it's not my first visit to the place: I came here for a concert in 2019 (for a band which has since been "cancelled by association" - don't ask), and I also did a tour of the place once (which was by and large kinda "okay at best" - though I did get to hear Michael Buble doing vocal-warm ups as well as see the Knicks locker room).
Alas, the building is...pretty much what you'd expect from an indoor arena: a pair of concourses (the upper one being particularly narrow I must say) with a bunch of stands for food and merch and almost no outdoor light. If you're in the upper sections, be aware that the building received a MASSIVE "transformation" during the 2010s (it used to be just one MASSIVE seating bowl), and as a side effect of this transformation, sightlines from some of the higher sections are obscured. When I was poking around the various sections while seeking tickets (i.e. the days before finding my seat), I found that the highest sections (which, it should be noted, are in only ONE of the ends) had no view of the scoreboard, and that certain rows in the "sideline" sections had what is known as a "bridge" obscuring views (though there's screens to show the action - something Citi Field has for the back rows of some of its sections). Despite this game being a preseason game, there were some seats that felt WAY overpriced...but also some that were not so bad - and a couple of days before the game, THIS was available for just over 50 bucks (and at least 20% of that was fees):
Anyway, I realize I haven't actually discussed the team at hand, but I also don't know how much that's necessary given their status as one of the most valuable teams in the NHL. The big thing you need to know about the Rangers (outside of them being an "Original Six" team) is 1994 - the year they won a Stanley Cup that broke a 54-year drought that THEY WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT (much to the chagrin of the Vancouver Canucks in more than one way).
Despite this being a preseason game, I felt like the crowd/atmosphere was quite lively, and there were quite a few chippy moments including an honest-to-god fight - likely because the Rangers were playing against the OTHER New York team in the Islanders. The Rangers have had a few down years recently (though this doesn't seem to have a major effect on the secondary market FWIW5), but took a 3-0 lead about midway through the game...and then lost in regulation (though again, preseason...).
Also, if you're not a fan of going to hockey games because of how loud goal horns are, I believe that MSG is one of two NHL arenas that lacks a real goal horn (the other being TD Garden); they use a recording of a horn which is honestly a bit hard to hear in the arena.
MERCH
As this is the first time I'm covering the National Hockey League on this blog, there is one thing I do need to discuss: Retail Jersey Tiers!
While retail hockey jerseys have gone through a slew of "systems" over the years, the current system was, more or less, adopted in 2017 when Adidas became the league's jersey manufacturer. in 2024, a certain company which shall remain nameless "took over", but they largely kept the same system Adidas was using before then.
- Breakaway: These are basically the "replica" level for the NHL, and they've actually been manufactured by the same company (i.e. the faceless company now responsible for ALL NHL jerseys) since 2017. These are the least expensive, but they're also not that great: the material feels a bit rough IMO, and the graphics are a bit lacking (usually flat with an appearance of being screen printed). It should be noted, however, that for a while, replica hockey jerseys did not have stitched-on logos (namely in the CCM and Reebok eras6), and the ones in the current system do (or at least the front logos are stitched).
- Premium: This jersey is a step up from the replica: all logos are stitched (and even feature a bit of texture), and the jersey has a "fight strap" (which is meant to keep the jersey from being ripped off of a player in a fight). From 2017 until 2024, however, this was called an "authentic" jersey despite not actually being what players wore during games (as well as the fact that they were made in Indonesia), but it was the closest fans could get to what the pros actually wore, as those jerseys were largely unavailable to the public (i.e. not sold in stores).
- Authentic Pro: This is what the players ACTUALLY wear. They're made in Canada and are NOTABLY different/better than the "Authentic" jersey...but they're also not cheap: I believe prices for these start around $400, and as someone who prefers physical retail over online retail, they're difficult to find in stores (case in point: I've only seen TWO stores stock these, and both were in Boston).
At this game, only the middle tier of jersey was available; also, I've found that most jerseys sold at arenas have player names already stitched on. There was one jersey I found that was available blank, but it lacked a special patch that its "named" counterparts all had (though thankfully the patch was available separately7).
Having said all of this, I will admit that like other major sports leagues, most of the NHL stuff I've gotten - i.e. jerseys and pucks (and the occasional hat and/or mini stick, though I've been trying to cut down on those recently) - has been from various Dick's Sporting Goods/Lids, thrift stores (which includes a rather INSANE pull I'm hoping to talk about soon), one jersey I called a team's practice facility to order, and the NHL Store a few blocks from MSG (which, it should be mentioned, I have yet to see the high-tier jersey at). Coincidentally, I actually got a Rangers jersey at this NHL store around the time of the 2024 switchover from Adidas (as it was on sale then)8.
Anyway, as you'd expect for a major arena, there are several merchandise areas dotted around the concourses of MSG; I counted two "stores" (both on the main concourse) and three "booths" around the arena - not including what I consider to be the "main" store. What I find interesting about the main store - i.e. the one that is open outside of events - is that it's fully inside the arena's "secure" area, so if you're trying to visit it during non-event times (which I've done in the past), you still have to go through security. Similar to TD Garden, however, is the fact that it's outside the "paid" area, so I'm pretty sure you can't visit it after you've scanned your ticket.
(Finally, I feel like I should mention Gerry Cosby - a old local sports shop which used to be across the street from MSG. I got a few things from them back in the day, but based on things I saw when I looked them up, they've moved to...western Massachusetts.)
Footnotes
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I was SUPPOSED to see a game at the Meadowlands as a kid, but we didn't make it due to a flat tire. ↩
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I specify "North Jersey" here because South Jersey is a bit of a different beast given that the Flyers are closer to most of the residents down there. ↩
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And before you ask about walking from Broad Street to the arena: no. Absolutely not. Again, speaking from personal experience. ↩
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Fun fact: Madison Square Park is the home of the original Shake Shack. I visited it once (as my mom worked in an office in the area), and all I can say is that Shake Shack ain't what it used to be... ↩
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The lowest "get-in" price (i.e. the price of the least expensive ticket for a particular game) is $80, and only six of the team's 42 home games had get-in prices less than $100 (this is all as of the date this was originally published). Also, if you're wondering, the get-in price for Knicks preseason games was north of $100 when I checked prior to publishing this post, and given EVERYTHING about them in 2026... ↩
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I will note, however, that I did randomly find a Reebok replica jersey with a stitched-on logo at a Marshalls back in 2025 (some eight years after the switch to Adidas). Strangely, despite the store being just north of Philadelphia, it was a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. ↩
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Had I been unable to find the patch, I would have had some serious thoughts about dropping nearly $300 on a jersey that normally costs $230...and I should note that said patch was GLUED ON. ↩
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There were A LOT of Adidas jerseys for sale at the game, but they were not discounted at all... ↩