New York Story: Circuitous Route To a Fabulous Show

NEW YORK — It was a breathtaking beginning. In the 26th second of the first minute of the first New York Rangers game of the season, Jaromir Jagr — dressed for the first time in his career in the blue jersey with the red and white “C” for captain on the chest — took the puck on the home team’s blue line. He needed to skate only four fast steps to get into the opponents’ territory.

He dribbled the puck, confused the defenseman, skated into the middle of the rink and shot from between the circles. On the scoreboard 0:29 flashed when the Rangers’ fans in Madison Square Garden roared “Goal!” for the first time that evening. Immediately afterwards the 18,000 spectators began chanting their traditional celebration chorus. The victims of the Rangers and their fans on that season-opening night were the Washington Capitals.

For a Czech ice hockey fan it was kind of a must to watch the Rangers play live if there was an opportunity to do it. With six Czech players in the team of 22 skaters, the Rangers had the largest Czech population in the whole National Hockey League at the start of the 2006-07 season. Moreover, the Rangers’ lineup included one of the best players in the history of Czech ice hockey, Jaromir Jagr.

However, for a foreigner it was not easy to get a ticket for the season-opening game. More then 95 percent of the team’s fans renewed their season tickets and 3,000 more fans were on the waiting list for tickets prior to the game, according to the Rangers’ statistics. Thus, only one-tenth of the individual game tickets were available before the start of the season. They could be bought online at Ticketmaster.com or at the Madison Square Garden box office.

New York Ranger’ captain Jaromir Jagr celebrates his, and his team’s, first goal of the season.

My pursuit of this unique experience started on a Monday four days before the game. But Ticketmaster had cruel news: “There were no tickets available that matched your request.” In other words: “Sold out.”

My second attempt, in person at The Garden box office, also ended in failure. Nevertheless, I was encouraged to learn at the ticket counter that there was still a chance some tickets might become available. That evening, Ticketmaster offered one ticket for $130 plus charges. But that was too much.

Then Wednesday evening came. Number of tickets: 1. Click. Find. Click. “We are currently working on your request,” the computer announced. Blink. The server found one available ticket on the third level for $44 plus charges.

There was no reason to hesitate. Select delivery method: Will Call at the box office. Click. Payment details. Click. Finished. Click. Enter card billing address: Name, street, city, ZIP code. Country: United States of America. The system did not offer another country.

My hope of attending the Rangers game basically died at this moment. Ticketmaster was willing to accept only a credit card issued in the U.S., which I did not have (although I later determined from the payment policy information that the server normally accepted foreign-issued cards for purchases made further in advance than I had tried.)

Going straight to The Garden would be my last chance to buy a ticket — if there was still one available. The box office opened at 9 a.m.

On Thursday at 7.30 a.m. my alarm clock went off. A couple minutes later my computer started warming up its circuits. Number of tickets: 1. Click. Blink. The ticket was 130 bucks. Wait. Fifteen minutes later the decisive moment came. Click. Blink. Another ticket, this time for $30 plus charges. The seat had a limited view and was right under the roof of the arena but at that moment it did not matter to me. What remained was praying that in the next hour-and-a-half no American would think about going to the ice hockey game.

Score!

I left the hotel at a quarter to nine. I turned left at the front door and soon crossed Fifth Avenue. I took the next left and rushed towards the Empire State Building. Fortunately during rush hour the streets of New York turn into a big traffic jam. Thus, it was possible to walk across the wide boulevards even on a red light. The closer I got to the highest building in the city the faster my steps and pulse got. The crucial moment approached. Two more blocks left to go. The clock over the counters at The Garden said three minutes after nine when I arrived.

“Can I have a ticket for tonight’s game?” I asked the lady in the booth.

“I have one for $130,” she answered.

“Would you have another one?”

The woman typed something into the computer and yellow numbers started popping up on the screen.

“I can see one more for $30 but it’s with a limited view.”

“What does it mean?” I asked her.

“You can’t see one corner.”

“It doesn’t matter. I take it.”

Before six o’clock in the evening I left the hotel and journeyed the already well-known way. One block away from the arena the crowd of people dressed in blue-and-white Rangers jerseys sucked me in. At half past six I was in my seat. Indeed, I was not able to see the far right corner.

When the Rangers players hopped onto the ice to start warming up a rumbling cheer of some hundreds of fans welcomed them. The skaters warmed up slowly, as slowly as the arriving spectators filled the dingy purple and green seats of the 38-year-old arena.

At seven o’clock the lights dimmed. The ice turned red and blue, the Rangers’ colors, and the announcer began introducing the home team. When the youngster Petr Prucha’s skate touched the ice thousands of throats started booing. I was startled.

“No, they aren’t booing at him,” my neighbor explained. “They’re chanting ‘Proooo’ as in ‘Pruch.’”

Nearly the whole Rangers lineup was on the home blue line. But everybody was waiting for one man. “In history, the New York Rangers have had 23 captains. Tonight, welcome the 24th captain whose honor and duty it is to lead — on and off the ice — the team of the Neeeew Yooooork Rangerrrrrrs! Ladies and gentlemen, Jaromiiiiiiir Jaaaaagr,” the loudspeakers thundered. The last words, though, nearly got lost in the deafening clapping, whistling and chanting of Jagr’s name.

The two starting lineups took their places on the ice. Four Czechs were in that of the New York Rangers. In the corner behind the Capitals’ goal the singer John Amirante stepped onto a special carpet. The crowd stood up and got silent. First the tones and then the words of the American national anthem vibrated through the silence. Maybe the singer was too excited or it was his age that made his voice tremble. Amirante had sung the anthem before the Rangers games for 25 years.

After Amirante finished “The Star-Spangled Banner” the ushers rolled up the carpet. The show was ready to begin.

The Capitals won the first face-off. They took the puck into the Rangers’ territory, chased it along the boards for a while and shot twice on the goal. Then, the Rangers’ Czech left wing, Martin Straka, captured the puck at the left board. The 26th second popped up on the scoreboard when Straka passed the puck towards the home blue line. It landed precisely on Jagr’s stick.

Three seconds later the guest goalie, Olaf Kölzig, conceded the first goal. By the end of the game it happened four more times and the Capitals left The Garden with a 5-2 debacle.

The Rangers won their opening game for the first time since 1985. Ironically, even then the Washington Capitals were the victims.