So I watched the Rangers/Islanders game after work last night, and while hockey isn't the most popular here in the Big Apple, the rivalry between these two teams is like no other rivalry in New York. Before I begin, let me point out that this is more of an observation than a declaration. I realize the Rangers and Islanders are the only New York City area teams that play in the same conference and division, hence the reasoning behind my vent.I'm still a Rangers fan today, but when I was younger I used to be a Rangers fanatic. I followed the Mets, Jets, and Knicks, but the "Broadway Blueshirts" were my team. My bedroom back in those days was littered from wall to wall in Rangers memorabilia. I had posters, cardboard cut outs, picture frames, and even a miniature Stanley Cup on my nightstand. I played hockey growing up, and idolized #11, "The Captain" Mark Messier. One of my fondest sports memories to this day is staying up late as a 7 year old with my brothers and father (also tremendous Ranger fans) to watch the Rangers win the Cup in 1994. And what a magical run it was - Matteau, Richter stoning Bure, Messier's guarenteed victory...those were the days.
Back to the rivalry though.
There's plenty of New York based rivalries to compare here. Let's take the "Subway Series" between the Mets and the Yankees, for example. Some may argue this is the biggest and baddest in NY, but I disagree. Granted, it's a huge match up every season, and New Yorker's get very pumped up about it. It steals the talk of the town and friendly banter and trash talking ensues. However, the relationship between the two sides of players and fans isn't necessarily strained. I know plenty of Yankee fans, and I know plenty of Mets fans, and when the infamous Series comes around it is more about bragging rights then anything else. I went to a Mets/Yankees game at Yankee Stadium last summer, and while the different sides of fans were taking shots back and forth at each other throughout the game, it seemed to be more in a playful spirit. By the end of the 9th inning, the Mets had won, and the different sects congratulated each other and went their separate ways. Nothing like America's past-time.
Then you have the Jets and Giants. Eh. Really no love lost here with this one either. The two teams play in different conferences, much like the Mets and Yanks, and have bigger fish to fry each week in their respective divisions. The Giants against the Eagles, Skins, and Cowboys, and the Jets with the Dolphins, Pats, and Bills. It probably doesn't help that they only play against one another once every few years to boot. Again, this is a match up based more on bragging rights then anything else, and should be considered the "weakest" of all NY based sports rivalries.
Which leads me to the topic of my vent, the Rangers and Islanders.
The two teams, HATE each other. The two sets of fans HATE each other. Okay, so hates a strong word, but in this case not strong enough. A night attending a Ranger/Islander game is one of the few match ups I can even try to compare to a European soccer experience. Well, maybe it's not quite on that level, but you can catch my drift. There is true and legitimate "bad blood" on all sides considered - the players and the fans.
For those of you who have never been to one of these games let me describe how it typically goes.
You show your ticket at the door, you walk into the arena. You see a sea of Rangers and Islanders jerseys, and depending on which one of the two you are wearing, you'll either get high-fived or yelled at. The line for beer is about a half-mile long, the line to use the bathroom even longer. Needless to say, guys get hopped up on plenty of fun substances for this game.
Now you're in your seat and the puck drops. The fans go nuts. Guys are getting all kinds of jacked up and the chants and trash talking begins. Not 10 minutes into the game, a fight breaks out on the ice. Bedlem. The crowd goes wild and more words are exchanged. The game continues, a dozen more fights break out on the ice, and beer is being drank in excess.
Finally, the atmosphere in the arena gets so heated that fights start breaking out in the stands left and right. A couple of guys go at it, then their friends go at it, and now it's a brawl. Foods flying. Beers flying. Kids are crying, and those spectating can only laugh and cheer their fellow fan on. Personally, I always pulled for the slightly overweight Ranger fan wearing the Stanley Cup leather jacket and white velcro sneakers. He always seemed to scratch and claw his way to victory too, at least until security got involved. Once you see those yellow jackets in hot pursuit, you know the entertainment is sadly about to end, and fans who care enough to watch the fight applaud the efforts of those participating
Let me put it to you all this way; if I had a dollar for every fight I witnessed both on and off the ice during my tenure of going to Ranger/Islander games, I'd be blogging from a beach-side penthouse in the Bahamas right now.
So to wrap this up, while hockey isn't a major factor in New York sports, this rivalry is incredibly enjoyable to follow. Whether or not you watch hockey, I encourage all my fellow NYer's to go to one of these games. The rivalry has created some very, very fond memories for me, and it is without a doubt, the greatest sports rivalry in town.
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