Publisher of Blue Collar Blue Shirts, Sean McCaffrey has seen plenty of hockey over the decades. What’s surprising – at least in The Maven’s view – is that his choices are, shall we say, out of the box.
Okay, I’ll let you decide. Take it away, Sean:
“The first Rangers game I’ll never forget has to be the first playoff match that I ever attended; a first round Game Four featuring the Quebec Nordiques as the Garden visitor.
“As a soon-to-be teenager, this playoff game had everything you could ask for – including a Steve Larmer overtime goal to seal the deal.
“With hopes that the Blueshirts would go back-to-back for the first time in franchise history, the Rangers nevertheless were seeded eighth that year during the 1995 abbreviated season, and yet they put up a valiant effort.
“Down 2-0 when entering the second period, the greatest Ranger that I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes, Brian Leetch, drew the home team within one. Alexei Kovalev tied the game in the third period before Larmer’s heroics ended the match in bonus time.
“I will always remember the energy during the game, after the game and on the LIRR train home.
“While the Rangers were put away a round later, at that moment, it felt like there was no stopping them – and just as it was a year before.
“Ah, to be a kid again!”
HONORABLE MENTION: “An April 4th, 1998 game at Nassau Coliseum featuring the two New York teams going nowhere that season was the night where I saw a fight between two goalies for the first time.
“The Rangers Dan Cloutier absolutely cleaned the clock of the Islanders’ Tommy Salo. The only thing memorable from that game was Cloutier not long make short work of Salo – but then challenged every Islander on the bench to take him.”
“No one obliged!”
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