This month at Blue Line Station, we are publishing stories on how our writers became fans of the New York Rangers. This week’s story comes from David Bruce. A contributor here at Blue Line Station, David had a very unique path to his Rangers’ fandom. This is his story…
Like most New York Rangers fans, I have loved the team since birth. Anything you can say about a fan, you can say about me. Watching games was always a family bonding experience, especially with my dad.
I always made sure I never missed a single one; nothing made me happier than watching a New York Rangers game. Deep down, however, I feel like I’ve always had a special connection to the game of hockey, and the New York Rangers in particular.
The Connection
Growing up on the autism spectrum can be very strange at times, but I often feel that, despite its limitations, I wouldn’t be remotely close to the person I am today without it.
Hockey and the New York Rangers have always been one of my intense interests linked to having Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of high functioning autism. Due to this, I had a desire to learn everything, even the most mundane details of the game, from a very young age.
My childhood was often spent memorizing hockey cards. I had a whole box full of them, and I can vividly remember my toddler self reading the back and making a mental note of a player’s career stats. At three years old, you could tell me a player’s name and ask me what his stat line was in any given season, and I could tell you the exact numbers on the spot.
I was also obsessed with watching the Oh Baby! VHS tape. For those unfamiliar, it is the video the Rangers released after winning the Stanley Cup in 1994. There was one name that my parents will remember for as long as they live, because I fixated on one very random clip of a player from that video: Peter White.
Peter White wasn’t even a Ranger. He was an Edmonton Oiler shown scoring on Mike Richter in the video. For whatever reason, I latched onto that clip and the call by Sam Rosen. My parents didn’t even believe he was a real hockey player, and I fought them tooth and nail on that issue. They watched the video again, and lo-and-behold, there was Peter White, shown for approximately three seconds.
Those were just a few of the many hockey-related intricacies I displayed as a child growing up on the spectrum, and many of those still exist today. I feel like there is never enough that I can learn about the game, and spend as much of my free time as I can increasing my wealth of knowledge of hockey.
It is one of the few things that I truly love, and the Rangers have a connection with me that I feel so uniquely bonded by.
My First Rangers Experiences
I was born in New York, but grew up in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada before moving back to New York. Despite having been a New York Rangers fan from birth, I spent a lot of time watching the Vancouver Canucks. My favorite player was Pavel Bure.
My parents weren’t exactly thrilled with my choice, but they couldn’t find any way to sway me. I got my wish for Pavel Bure to become a Ranger, and though it was an injury shortened stint that ended his career, I am so glad I got a chance to see him play in New York.
My first Rangers game, at least that I can recall, came at Nassau Coliseum. It took place at the end of the 1997-98 season, where I got to see Tommy Salo of the Islanders fight Dan Cloutier of the Rangers. If you tell any Rangers fan to think of their favorite fight of all time, that one is sure to come up frequently. Goalie fights are rare, and that one was a ton of fun to watch, even if I barely remember seeing it live.
My first game at Madison Square Garden came in 2001, where I watched the Rangers get killed by the Pittsburgh Penguins. While the 7-3 score was disappointing, I got to sit right next to the tunnel that the players went down between periods.
A referee was kind enough to give me a few practice pucks, and Mikael Samuelsson, a Ranger at the time, flipped me a game puck, a 75th anniversary season Rangers puck that I still have today. It is one of my prized possessions.
Down the block from my house, there is a restaurant and bar, the owner of which has a daughter married to Brian Leetch. At one point, years ago, the Rangers came there for a team dinner.
The owner, knowing our family, let us come in and meet the team. I was picked up and passed around by several Rangers to have my jersey signed. I got autographs from Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Brian Leetch, Mike York, Dale Purinton, Petr Nedved, Jan Hlavac, Jason Doig, and Manny Malhotra.
My Connections Today
Over the years, I have grown up, and the Rangers have come with me every step of the way. I still exhibit many characteristics of Asperger’s including social awkwardness, anxiety, difficulty understanding social cues, communication difficulties, sensory issues and intense, niche interests. At times, it is difficult to deal with, and hard to explain to people who cannot understand it.
With Rangers games, however, those anxieties melt away. Madison Square Garden has become a true safe haven for me, a place that, whether it is on my TV or in person, I can go to relieve stress and be myself.
Nothing beats the joy I feel during a Rangers game. MSG is my happy place, and I would spend every day there if I could. In a phrase, they are an extension of therapy for me.
So, some things are hard for me. Some things even seem impossible for me at times. Despite this, I would never want to lose this part of me, because it has made me who I am.
Sometimes I feel years behind everyone else, and sometimes the simplest things in life seem extremely hard for me. At the end of the day, though, I know I have my family, my friends, and of course, the Rangers and their family with me every step of the way.
Who knows; without Asperger’s, maybe I’d never have even liked hockey.
Nope. I can’t imagine that life.
Next: Without The Rangers, I Wouldn't Be Alive
Whether it’s the players, stats, or the game itself; win or lose, the New York Rangers and the game of hockey itself are always there for me. It’s a true, intrinsic connection I have, the appreciation of which no words could ever express.