The Blue Seats

With the New York Rangers in the play offs got me thinking about the old days back in New York the 80's. We were young and went to as many games as we could. We were crazy for the Rangers. Trish and I went all the the games we could.

Mike Arco (the gas station guy) used to skate with them. Trish's brother Boulder used to detail their cars. We used to go to their open practices at Rye Beach Playland. We all owned a copy of Thin Ice "a season in hell with NY Rangers". ( I bet my brother still has a copy of it.)

Three players made a Sassoon jeans commercial oooh laa laaa sasson. Ron duGay, Phil Espisito and Dave Malone. I can still hear the song. Those were the days.

Playboy ran article about the die hard Rangers Fans.... Wild in the stands the Blue Seats. The infamous Blue Seats, these seats were cheap and at the very top of the garden. To say the that fans in the Blue Seats were hard core is an understatement. There were almost as many fights in the Blue Seats as there were on the ice. Forget about rooting for the other team they would let you know that MSG was the Rangers house.

We took my sister in law to her first hockey game and sat in the blue seats. She didn't run off and is still married to my brother.

I read that MSG no longer has color coded seats. They are now the 400 seats, but to those of us from back in the day they will always be the Blue Seats. The Blue Seats were not just a section but a state of mind. A New York state of mind.