Rangers to return to outdoor practice for second consecutive year
Over the weekend the New York Rangers announced through social media that the team would have another open practice on December 15 in central park on an off day.
Even though the Winter Classic features the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers are throwing their fanbase a bone in the form of another open practice. Last year, the organization had its first open practice in central park in more than 15 years and it drew a standing room only crowd on a crisp and cold Saturday morning.
Unlike most teams in the NHL, the Rangers are firmly hidden behind a curtain from the community at large. Aside from paid events or the annual Toys for Tots drive, the team does not typically make the players available for community events. While the team is sure to highlight their charity work, it doesn’t put them into the mix.
Other organizations in the league have annual events to try and bridge the gap between fan and player. The aforementioned Blackhawks have a huge event at the Navy Pier which draws thousands of fans all to raise money for charity.
The Rangers public relations people, full well knowing that the team has a built-in ticket base, does not need to take that extra step. All things considered, New York is a struggling team flooding the local media market with adds to buy ticket packages and is trying its best.
Prior to the start of the regular season, the team had the team’s big rookies, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil and Brett Howden in Chase Square at Madison Square Garden to try and drum up some interest. As the most expensive ticket of all New York sports teams, the Rangers cannot appeal to the same mass of people that the other sports do.
So, a free open practice in central park is a nice bone to the fans. It presents an opportunity to watch a sanitized version of practice on a too small rink and give the illusion of peeling back the curtain. At last year’s iteration, the team was still in the postseason mix with an established head coach and everything looked fine.
Five months later, the coach was fired, the captain was traded and the future of the organization was made the priority.
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At least now, the fans in attendance will get to hear head coach David Quinn yell at the top of his lungs on a 2/3 sized regulation rink. Be sure to bundle up and get to the rink early as the crowd swells quickly and there isn’t a lot of space at the rink off of 110 street.