Matt Ulman

Couldn’t find this anywhere online, so I grepped out the away games.

NYR 2013-14 Home Games ICS for Google Calendar

I’ve been pretty vocal about my hatred of the new Garden ‘experience’ this year and last.

As I see it there are really three issues:

1. The renovations’ goal was to make the Garden more attractive to corporate clients, including moving the luxury boxes down from the ceiling and adding more ‘high class’ vendors.  The average fan doesn’t see any real improvement.
2. To offset the extra non-arena space the aisles were reduced or removed and navigating to and from seats is dramatically more difficult in a very crowded space.   What used to be tunnel entrances to the bowl were reduced to hallways, and the circumnavigational aisles were removed completely.
3. To pay for the renovations they raised ticket prices, and because of this they shuffled everyone to seats that are less attractive than the seats they’d had before.

So we have a process from which most people see no benefit, and in fact their experience is worse.  To add insult to injury we’re paying more for less.

We suffered through last year when most facilities were taken out of service at one point or another, dealt with huge lines for everything with the promise that “things would improve”, but this year the same thing is happening and last night I made it back to my seat with 2 seconds left in the period break after doing nothing more than buying a hotdog and quickly going to the restroom.

MSG should be upset that I didn’t have any time to shop, even if I wasn’t planning on it.

Looking around online I’m surprised I haven’t seen more reviews, positive or negative, of the renovations.   I did find this piece, which was written before the launch and sums things up quite nicely:

The third-party gentleman that they brought in to conduct the [focus] group asked a battery of questions, all along the line of ‘what would make it alright for them to take your seat away and give you a worse one?’ The answer, unanimously, was nothing. The fellow recommended an exclusive entrance to the building, some exclusive concession stands or minor discounts on said concessions. He was completely unable to grasp the concept that hardcore Ranger fans don’t care about the accommodations or intermission entertainment options, they care about watching the game.

They don’t get it, but what’s worse they don’t care because we’re not the market they’re after.  I just sold my Saturday night Habs tickets online, something that I never would have dreamed of doing even last year.

I love this picture.  The intensity, the anticipation of it falling below the crossbar, the beards (except on the Fin, of course), it’s like time stopped.

I hate Joe Thornton more than I should, but there’s something about a waste of talent that makes me angry.  Consider this:

The outside world continues to say that the Sharks will only go as far as you can carry them. How do you react to that?

“I don’t necessarily believe in that so much,” he said. “Everybody knows that the most important position is goaltending and Nabby’s a big part of this team. Todd has said in the past that it’s not one guy that’s going to carry the load, it’s going to be the team.”

It’s not my fault if we lose.

When will the ‘Powers that Be’ learn that stupid rules are ignored, and the more rules that are ignored the less important the rules are? If the people who write the rules don’t take them seriously, then how/why would anyone else?

No zoom?  Leave your phone at home.  Arrive an hour early?  Not sure they’d let me in then.

Spending a lot of time at the Garden this year, and all in all a decently run place.  They do a good job of keeping the place clean and the staff friendly, but can’t wait for the renovation.

At The Garden

As a reminder, we ask you to arrive early, one hour prior to game time. We ask that all guests travel light and avoid bringing unnecessary/excess items as all persons and bags are subject to search. MSG may utilize metal detecting hand wands, walk-through metal detectors or other devices. Bags that have passed inspection must fit comfortably under your seat. Oversized bags are prohibited. Amongst items that are prohibited from MSG are: weapons, laser pens, outside food and beverage, cans, bottles, alcohol, drugs, video cameras, monopods, tripods, audio recording devices and cameras with telephoto or zoom lenses. You may bring in a disposable, 35mm or digital camera (with no zoom or telephoto lens), however, flash photography is prohibited. For a complete listing, click here.