Monday, July 26, 2010

Guest Blogger #9: Six road Rangers games worth checking out

By Pete Jeffrey (@TravelingNYRfan)

There are so many amazing cities through out the US and Canada that are home to NHL teams.

A great way for us Ranger fans to travel is to follow our boys, bringing NYC attitude to cities across the continent. It’s a strange but extremely fun feeling rooting for the enemy in an unfamiliar setting. The game is always fun, but exploring the city before and after can be just as rewarding. So far I’ve seen the Rangers at 4 road arenas. Don’t get me wrong, the Garden is still the best place to catch the Blueshirts in action. If you’re looking to travel this season, here are 6 dates to mark on your calendar:

I’ll start off with 3 arenas I have been to.

Saturday 10/09/10 @BuffaloThe 2010-11 season opener takes place at HSBC arena in Buffalo, NY. After spending my 4 year college life in Buffalo I have been to my share of games here. HSBC is a fairly new arena, but remains unpretentious. The Sabres price their games on a sliding scale based on opponent, with the Rangers usually falling under the Gold category. Gold games make the upper level pricey, with a center ice ticket costing around $75. No matter where you sit, expect to hear it from the fans. But hey, that’s part of the fun isn’t it? The weather in this infamously frigid town is usually pleasantly mild in early October. If you want wings do yourself a favor and avoid the famed Anchor Bar. While it’s true they invented the wing, nearby Duffs has mastered it.

Time from NYC: 1-1.5 hours by plane or 6 hours by car

Saturday 10/30/10 @Toronto
These tickets go very quickly online, selling out within minutes regardless on how the team is performing. Consider yourself lucky if your not forced to sell an arm and/or leg to get a decent seat in the Air Canada Centre. With that being said, Toronto is a great place to catch a game. The ridiculously priced lower level forces all the everyday fans up to the upper level where all the fun is. Be careful though as many tickets are listed as limited view which could very well hide a net. Despite the pure passion shown by the Leafs fans, they are by far the friendliest I have encountered on the road so far. On top of the nice arena and passionate fans, Toronto is a beautiful city that is home to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Time from NYC: 1.5-2 hours by plane or 8.5 hours by car

Saturday 03/26/11 @Boston
A quick 3.5 hour drive from NYC, the Bruins boast a terrific modern arena, the TD Garden in the heart of downtown Boston. The prices are fair. $60 should get you an upper level center ice seat surrounded by the beer drinking Bruins faithful. Everything looks brand new, the place is jumping with great sound and fanatics bouncing around in yellow and black. Obviously the two cities can’t stand each other so expect plenty of verbal abuse by showing your Rangers pride. It’s worth it! Boston is a small city that is easy to navigate. You can tour the Sam Adams factory, go shopping down Newbury street or scout out the best lobster roll and chowder in town.

Time from NYC: 1-1.5 hours by plane or 3.5 hours by car

Here are 3 arenas I would love to visit this season.

Saturday 02/05/11 @Montreal
Whenever Habs’ fans come to the Garden they always have a loud & drunken good time. Imagine being surrounded by over 21,000 of them at the leagues largest arena, the Bell Centre. With surprisingly inexpensive upper level tickets and very reasonable hotel accommodations in prime areas, Montreal is a very good option for a weekend getaway out of the city. Keep in mind this game is in early February and the weather will likely be extremely cold, even more of an excuse to keep the Molson’s and Labatt’s heading your way.

Time from NYC: 1.5 hours by plane or 6.5 hours by car

Friday 02/25/11 @Washington
Ovechkin has turned the nations capital into a red jersey hockey crazed town. There’s a great atmosphere in downtown DC on game nights, along with a high demand for tickets. The Capitals should continue to play their high offense and uptempo style, usually making for an exciting game. DC is extremely easy to get to by car, bus, train or plane. The city also offers many free activities in the form of landmarks and museums. This might be the best option for a family of Ranger fans looking to venture out to a new city.

Time from NYC: 1.5 hours by plane or 4 hours by car/bus

Saturday 03/12/11 @San Jose
This is by far the biggest trip on the list, but could very well be the most rewarding. The Sharks appear to have a very loyal fan base that is hockey crazy. Ticket prices are reasonable, with upper level center ice tickets ranging from $38-$58. If you’re like me and always wanted to venture out to the Bay Area for a long weekend this might be the perfect excuse for a visit.

Time from NYC: 6.5 - 7.5 hours by plane with 1 connection

Here are some other weekend games of interest:
11/27/10 @Nashville
12/18/10 @Philadelphia
01/08/11@St. Louis
01/22/11@Atlanta
03/20/11@Pittsburgh

Is anybody planning to travel to see the Rangers on the road? If so, where?

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Ive seen the rangers play in pittsburgh many times in mellon so i hope to see them in the new arena this year too, you'll hear it from the fans, but they are great games

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this, I plan on going to a couple of away games and this made it easier.

Pete said...

Andrew, hearing it from the fans is half the fun isn't it?? I can dish it out at MSG so I certainly expect to take it when traveling. We haven't had much luck in Mellon recently, hopefully we can start winning in the new arena in Pitts.

Chris, no problem! :) Which games were you thinking of going to??

Anonymous said...

I went to the last game of the season in Philly it was alot of fun the arena is very nice and extremely loud but unfortunatley the rangers didn't show up (I also made it on the jumbo tron)

AnnoyingJoe said...

Great post. We take one road trip a year, so really enjoyed your take on away games. Just one thing; Washington is the worst. the Verizon Center is ok, right in the middle of town, we literally walked out of the hotel, across the street and into the rink. But there's no character, it's like in a mall with movie theaters and a friggin olive garden. And the fans? The only time they make noise is when that stupid horn blares. HONK! HONK! HONK! Go Caps Go! the minute the horn stops...silence. Like sheep. And forget getting a bite after the game, the city goes on lockdown after 11, and that was on a weekend. If Washington is on your list of places to go, put it at the bottom of the list.

Pete said...

Anonymous - I've heard the Philly fans are brutal, did you find that true? I'm sure they appreciated the Ranger jersey on the Jumbo Tron haha. I will probably venture down there sometime this season, it's so close!

Joe - Thanks for the kind words. I went down to DC last year on a weekend we were playing and didn't get tickets (didn't want to spend 100 bucks for upper corner seats), and from what I saw it looked like it had a good atmosphere in the neighboring bars. Your description reminds me a lot of the new Devils arena, extremely nice place which completely lacks atmosphere and a surrounding city.

Jason said...

I'm going to Minneapolis to catch a Rangers game. Not sure if I want to wear my Gaborik jersey or not..

call of duty said...

I love the New York Rangers. My uncle took me to see them when I was a child. My dad played Hockey when he was young. We all enjoyed hockey.

The Rangers are the Best!!!

Great blog.