In this first installment of At The Garden for the 2002-2003 Ranger season, I want to get back to basics and try to give those readers who were unable to attend the home opener a feel for the atmosphere inside MSG. But first, I have to digress for a moment. Please, bear with me.

In the fall of 1991, when I was a senior in high school, I watched a film in physics class called “Frames of Reference.” This 1960 NSF-funded film is regarded by some to be a classic teaching tool. In the film, two scientists in lab coats demonstrate how our perceptions are affected by the window through which we view an event. For example, if you’ve ever seen the movie “Top Secret,” there’s a scene near the beginning where Nick’s train begins to pull away from the station. Or, at least, it appears to – as the camera pulls away, we find out that the station is pulling away from the stationary train.

What does this have to do with the season opener?

The trouble that I’m having here is finding an appropriate frame of reference. So, I’ll try to give you the home-opener from a few different perspectives.

Walking To The Seats - A New Hope
On October 11, 2002, I returned to the Garden for the first time since last season’s disastrous loss to Toronto in the home finale. By that point, the sprits of the Garden faithful had been, for all intents and purposes, crushed. But in the lobby of MSG, that horrible night felt like it was almost an eternity ago. There was a light, excited feel to the crowd. Look at the team since then! We’ve added Holik and Kaspar! We’ve got a new coaching staff that will institute an actual system! We kicked ass in Carolina Wednesday night!

Sitting Down – Flashbacks To A Bad Trip
Now, I can’t really explain it, but most of that optimism stayed outside. I suppose that it was like returning to the scene of a violent crime or horrible accident. Suddenly, all of the old feelings came flooding back – the disappointment, the resent, the resignation. During the player introductions and the anthems, the crowd seemed a bit quieter than one would expect for a home-opener. Where was the excitement and optimism from just minutes earlier? We must’ve traded it in for our Nextel Opening Night Caps.

Period 2 And On – Bleak Despair
If the first period gave us reason to hope, then the second took it all away. When the Habs scored their first goal, a guy in a seat near me said “Here we go again!” At that point, the malaise that we’ve all felt for the past five seasons returned with full force. I think that the collective psyche of the Garden crowd is so damaged at this point that any minor setback has become enough to take the crowd out of the game. This is a bad thing, folks. Of course, the guys MUST get it done on the ice. But the home crowd HAS to become a factor again. Do not underestimate the boost that the home crowd’s silence gives to a visiting team.

Well, I’ve rambled a bit here, so I think that I’ll sign off for now. I’m going to the game tomorrow night against Toronto. Hopefully, I’ll have better news to report.

BRUSHING UP FOR THE BAR REVIEW

Before I go, I just wanted to let you know that research has begun for the At The Garden MSG-Area Bar Review! We hit three of the local establishments Friday night – The Blarney Rock, Mustang Harry’s, and O’Reilly’s Pub. There’ll be more to come. If you have a favorite bar within a couple of blocks of MSG, and you’d like to have it included in the bar review, use the comments section to let me know!

-Chris

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