New York

New York


We left Boston after the game and drove as far Mystic Connecticut. In the morning we made our way to the Ranger's practice facility in Tarrytown. And what a practice facility. We were given a tour of the building by Miles and then watched the practice. The Rangers share the facility with the NBA New York Knicks and the Ladies Professional Basketball League New York Liberty. There is a large arena and then two regulation practice basketball courts side by side. In the middle are their offices and a large cafeteria used by the players from all the teams. We were treated to a delicious lunch and afterwards met Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan who visited with us for a bit and then both graciously signed our posters. With a mapquest sheet in our hands, we made our way to New York via the Henry Hudson Parkway. We were booked at a hotel directly across from Madison Square Garden which was convenient for walking to the game the next day. That evening we walked down to the Time Square area for a brief look. The Rangers had an afternoon game on Saturday. I had never been to New York and it was a thrill to walk in and finally see MSG. There was a good crowd for an afternoon game and they were boisterous. Graham was hoping for an obnoxious New York fan to be sitting in the vicinity of our seats and I was fortunate to have him sitting behind me. Free entertainment. MSG was also the place where Dan scored his first NHL goal. The Thrashers had the puck and a copy of the game sheet framed for him. It is now a treasured keepsake for our family. After the game we once again walked to Time Square. It was a beehive of activity. Lots and lots of people were bustling around shopping at the many stores that were open late. Everywhere there were lights and huge billboards and eateries. We had a late supper at a diner in Time Square and made our way back to the hotel. On Sunday we did a New York Mesa Grill run. Graham is a huge fan of Bobby Flay and we had a meal at his restaurant in Las Vegas last year. We booked a reservation at his restaurant in New York for brunch and once again weren't disappointed in our meals. I had the most amazing blue corn waffle with blackberry syrup and blackberries served on top. It was yummy and light. My sister Susan, and her son Scott and his girlfriend Karen were in town the same time as us, so we met up with them and did a little more touring later in the afternoon. We went through Macy's and a bunch of other stores and then went to the Empire State Building. It was up and up and up. We were informed (several times) that there was little to no visibility on the observation deck, but we went up anyway. The observation area is on the 86th floor of the building and I was just as glad that the visibility wasn't going to be that great at that height. It really wasn't too bad when we got outside though. There was a good night view and the lights all over the city were beautiful. We could see MSG, Macy's, Time Square, the skaters at the Rockefeller Center and lots and lots of lights. One more night in Manhattan and it would be off to Long Island to see the Islanders. The Rangers increased our home team win record to 13-7 against the Bruins. This is hockey stop number 20. Ten more stops to go.

Graham's Game Report

Jan 13, 2007
Madison Square Gardens
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers


It was my first trip to the home of so many great sporting events over the years. It was interesting to see the old boxing pictures and posters from years gone by as well as some original six pictures with these two old rivals facing off. The Rangers were much the stronger team today, outshooting the Bruins by a wide margin. It wasn't until late in the game however before they secured the win on Jed Ortmeyer's first goal of the season on of all things a penalty shot. He looked like he knew what he was doing as he deked Thomas and slid the puck calmly inside the post for a 3-1 lead. Michael Nylander gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead halfway through the first but Savard responded less than a minute later to knot the score. Martin Straka regained the Ranger lead putting home a rebound at 5:52 of the second period and that was all the scoring for this Saturday afternoon until the Big O excited the crowd with his nifty moves. These two teams look to be battling along with half a dozen other teams for a spot in he top eight of this tight Eastern Conference.