Pretzels and cheese (Or: Let’s go Rangers

The NHL Rangers are currently tied in the Eastern Conference finals 2-2. They need to win 2 more games this series, and 4 more in the finals. Of course, both the first and second playoff rounds went to 7 games. Nailbiters.

Final game of the regular season, Rangers vs. Capitals, April 2012

Things I think about when I think about the Rangers:

1. Cheese and pretzels. Yum. I was able to introduce Marco to this snack on the first Rangers game he took me to. “See if they have cheese dip for the pretzel, Marco.” “What?” “Just ask if they have cheese dip for the pretzel.” “…Okay, that sounds weird, but okay.” (And he realized it was good.)

2. The arena turning off the escalators before the game ends to prevent accidents as people rush out. Makes sense, but there’s a lot of escalator steps to run down to leave.

3. I enjoy watching the officials jump up to avoid the puck almost as much as the game itself. They have to be pretty quick on their feet.

3B. I finally feel like I can track the puck and figure out where the heck it is, after a few years.

4. I miss hearing/singing “Sweet Caroline” near the end of the game if the Rangers were about to win. The player who liked that song was traded a few years back.

5. “Whose decision was this ANYWAY?!?!” — spoken from a little kid in front of us. The dad had brought his two young sons to watch the game. One son was into it, one son was so pissed off to be there that he pulled his jacket over his head and went back to playing his Nintendo DS. Under his jacket.

6. The random stranger who practically slept on my shoulder during the last game. Yes, slept. I guess they were there more for the partying then the game watching. Eventually he shifted over away from me.

7. Peeking into the Rangers locker room during the MSG tour (but couldn’t go in as they had a game that day).

8. My first game, no one scored. Literally. It went to overtime 0-0. The 5 minute overtime period, no one scored. It went to penalty shots. Thank God we won that and the game. (Marco had to explain penalty shots and how that worked pretty quickly.)

9. Feeling like you are cheating the system when you bring random water bottle caps to the arena. (The workers are required to take the caps off all bottles. …Okay.) I keep forgetting MSG serves Dasani water. Bring those caps!

10. “Marrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-tyyyyyyyyy” chants against the Devils goalie, Marty Brodeur. Oh, and while we are here, the Potvin sucks chant heard for more than 30 years at all Rangers home games.