Crease
Chief Justice of the HFNYR Court
- Jul 12, 2004
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From an article in Sports Illustrated titled The Wild Blue Yonder, dated April 3, 1989. The author of the article reflects on his first experience in the blue seats, which also happened to be Denis Potvin's final game at Madison Square Garden.
The article goes on to talk about some of the famous characters, like Chief and Fat Dancer. Then this prophecy:
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I walked along the narrow corridor behind the blue seats. Venturing down an aisle in the blues was like walking into a Third Avenue saloon on St. Patrick's Day. The steps were slick with beer; popcorn crunched underfoot. The noise was deafening—a kind of fraternity-house atmosphere of greetings and shouts—but there was always an absorption in the game going on far below: a forest of upraised arms at a Ranger goal; a banging of chair seats; and torrents of recrimination over Ranger mistakes. Most of the fans were dressed in Ranger paraphernalia—team jerseys, hats. The girls wore Ranger trinkets on necklaces.
The blue seats are so close to the Garden roof that viewing the action far below was like looking out from under the ledge of a rock. There was a lot of movement up and down the steep aisles. The sight lines are so poor that spectators have to stand and crane to see plays at the near end of the rink. The fans in the back seats perch on the corridor railing like grackles on a telephone wire. Each of the blue sections (there are 48 around the rim of the Garden) seemed to have its own cheerleader, who would step into the aisle to organize a chant, which would then be taken up by the sections on either side until, in full cry. it poured out into the arena.
The article goes on to talk about some of the famous characters, like Chief and Fat Dancer. Then this prophecy:
I asked Orosz what would happen in the blues if the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. He smiled and said, "I'd take off two weeks and go to Hawaii. I think everybody around here would do the same." He paused. "The frustration after all these years would end. It would be very different in the blues."
And how about the Potvin chant? Would that go?
"You mean 'Potvin sucks?' Oh, that'll never go," he said. "It'll move even if they build a new Garden. It goes along with Mom and hot dogs and apple pie."
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