13. March 2025
Home » Sports » Sports Reviews » Watching the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden
Sports Reviews

Watching the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden

New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden
4.4

Rating

 4.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Iconic venue
  • Good food services
  • Good public transport connections

Flyctory.com Cons

  • High ticket prices and demand

On my last Pittsburgh Penguins tour in April 2024, I also visited the away match at the New York Rangers. The ice hockey game at Madison Square Garden has definitely been a highlight of the trip. Even though the arena is not the most modern one out there, it is one of the most famous ones in the world. Here is my review of the NHL experience.

 

 

Madison Square Garden – Location & Traffic

Madison Square Garden located between 7th Ave and 8th Ave and 31st St and 33rd St. It is in fact on top of the railway tracks of Long Island Railroad and Amtrak. The Penn Station entrance and the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station are just a short walk. MSG or The Garden, how it is typically abbreviated, is thus very centrally located. It is a short walk to Times Square and many other touristic attractions. There are also numerous hotels, restaurants and bars around. I stayed at the Hampton Inn Manhattan – Madison Square Garden Area, which is just a short walk away.

 

The central location is, of course, perfect for using public transport to the arena. Apart from the rail services already mentioned, you can also use the NY Subway lines 1, 2, 3, A, C and E to 34 St. – Penn Station. Numerous other lines take you to 34th St – Herald Square.If you come from New Jersey, the PATH is taking you to its terminus, 33 St. You can, of course, also come to Manhattan by car, but be aware of bridge / tunnel tolls, city toll and massive parking fees.

 

Madison Square Garden – Arena & Ticket Situation

There have been venues named Madison Square Garden in the past, but these have been at other locations. At the current location, The Garden opened in 1968, but had two waves of renovation, the most recent being in 2011 to 2013. For ice hockey matches, the capacity is about 18,000, while for concerts and boxing events, it can exceed 20,000 spectators. Apart from the New York Rangers, it is currently home of the New York Knicks and St. John’s Red Storm (NCAA). Even though the area feels rather modern, you see that it has a rather traditional design.

In regards of ticket prices, shows and sports events at Madison Square Garden are typically very popular. The New York Rangers tickets have been the most expansive on the trip, with some 250 USD for a lower ring seat behind the goal. However, the seating was  rather comfortable. New York is a very populated metropolitan area and also easy to reach from foreign destinations. You typically run into numerous ice hockey fans from Europe at a New York Rangers match, for example.

 

Madison Square Garden – Atmosphere

The concourse of the arena features a lot of pictures and memorabilia of the history of it and the events taking place there. This already boosted me looking forward to the match. The atmosphere during the match was better than in many other US-American venues. However, it could not meet the atmosphere in Canada or at the New York Islanders and their UBS Arena in Queens.

 

Madison Square Garden – Food & Shopping

Madison Square Garden definitely knows how to drive entertainment. This includes that the venue comes with a wide variety of food and drink items. The prices are reasonable, especially in relation to typical New York prices.

The main merchandise store of the Rangers and the Knicks is located in front of the gates and can thus also be visited when you do a tour of the venue. There are also some smaller vending booths with a nice selection of items.

 

Madison Square Garden – My View

The Garden is definitely iconic and a special venue in the NHL. The connections are very convenient, while the ticket situation and ticket prices are rather aggressive. But that’s just the way it is – it’s the Big Apple! I absolutely enjoyed watching the match.

 

Stadiums & Arenas

Here are all reviews and reports about (sports) Stadiums & Arenas:

 

Travel Postings – New York

Here are all my Travel postings related to New York (city):

You might also like

Visiting the US Open 2018

Visiting Jokerit Helsinki at Hartwall Arena

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *