New York Rangers: The crowd noise debate

When the New York Rangers start playing hockey again, some decisions will have to be made.

Here’s an interesting concept to ponder.  When the New York Rangers and the rest of the NHL resume play, it will likely be at neutral locations with no fans in the arenas.  How far should the league go to replicate the traditional experience?

As he NHL ponders how it will re-start hockey, they are considering every option.  One of the weird things that they have to consider is noise.  With no fans in the stands and no ambient noise, games will be eerily quiet.  Coaches yelling instructions will be audible as well as the juicier comments made in the heat of battle.

The “chirpers” will have to be careful, lest the state of the art microphones used for telecasts catch some choice comments that weren’t meant for young ears.  Brendan Lemieux and Tony DeAngelo will have to watch out.

While it could open the game to a new dimension as fans will be able to hear skaters and goalies shouting to each other, will it seem real?

A solution

One proposal that has been floated is the idea of piping in crowd noise.  It would be like a hockey “laugh track” with the appropriate oohs and aahs laid in at the proper moments. Based on who the home team is, there could be a home team crowd noise arrangement, down to the Rangers’ goal song and assorted reactions (boos and cheers) for penalties and (god forbid!) a fight.

It would be simple to insert a “Let’s Go Rangers” chant into home telecasts along with cheers for Ranger goals and relative silence when scored upon.

And how nice would it be to see John Amirante sing the national anthem before every home game?

Whether that would just be audible to the television audience or if it would be piped into the arenas is another question that will probably be left to the NHLPA and the owners.  While proponents of noise in the arenas maintain that crowd noise pumps up the players, it would open the NHL to claims of “unfair crowd noise.”  Yikes.

What about the Rangers?

Our beloved Broadway Blueshirts present the league with another problem entirely.  If the league goes the added  audio route, could a Ranger home game feel real without the ubiquitous “Potvin sucks” chant at least once a period?

And what about Dancing Larry?   Should they play “Strike It Up” by Black Box and insert a virtual Larry Goodman into the telecast?  Or considering copyright infringement or privacy laws, should it be a Dancing Larry avatar?

Would the officials union even dare to allow the telecast to include an occasional “these refs suck” chant?   What about the derisive cheer when an opposing goalie stops a shot after allowing a bushel of goals?

Perhaps the biggest issue is the fan base.  When the Blueshirts play in North Carolina or Southern California or Florida, it often seems like there are more Ranger fans at the game than the opposition.  Expatriate New Yorkers chant “Let’s Go Rangers” and try to drown out the locals.  Now, how would the NHL handle that?

If anyone has played EA Games NHL video game, you are aware of the antiseptic, canned feel to the crowd noise in those matches.  That’s what the NHL has to avoid if they want this bizarre form of the sport to feel anything like the game we love.