A Unique Rangers Experience from New York to Seattle

Dawn Golon and Mark Gibbons are a brother-sister duo who made the trip to Seattle from the New Jersey-New York area for Sunday's game against the Kraken.

The two of them having been attending Rangers' games together since the 1980s due to their shared love of the sport and the connection hockey brings to the siblings. For this specific trip to Seattle, the pair enjoyed seeing the tourist sites while repping their favorite Rangers' gear.

"I had my Rangers hat on all day," Gibbons said. "You get other Ranger fans saying, 'Let's go Rangers!' and high fives, stuff like that. There were people on our plane all decked out in Ranger stuff. And then, as far as being welcoming to Seattle, nobody's said a bad word to us."

Riley, Michael and Devin Dean traveled from Palm Springs to see the Seattle Kraken play. The family has become big fans of the franchise due to Seattle's AHL affiliate — the Coachella Valley Firebirds — being located in their home city.

"We have season tickets to the Firebirds, so we go to all of the home games," Riley said while wearing a Seattle Kraken hat and Firebirds sweatshirt. "Ryker Evans played in Palm Springs the last two years, and we've watched him. When he got moved up to Seattle, it became super exciting to see him play at the NHL level."

The Dean family also enjoyed the typical tourist spots such as the Space Needle, and said they really liked talking to New York fans who also made the trip.

"We've talked to a couple of Rangers fans at the hotel we're staying at to get a sense of what they're doing and to hang," Riley said. "We really lucked out, everyone we've talked to is just really excited to be here and wants to have a good time."

Before heading to their seats at Climate Pledge Arena, Golon and Gibbons spent time at Queen Anne Beerhall.

The place was filled with people wearing Kraken and Rangers jerseys. Golon and Gibbons were no exception, with Golon sporting a Mike Richter jersey while Gibbons opted for Esa Tikkanen.

"We used to watch games together all the time," Golon said. "To go into the different cities ... It provides a reason to go to Seattle and see something. It's just a good time. We did all the touristy stuff, but I enjoy attending a good sporting event. It's something we bond over and it gives us a chance to spend time together"

And a good sporting event was certainly what Golon and Gibbons saw. Although the Rangers won 2-0, the brother-sister duo said they had nothing but respect for Seattle fans, such as the Dean family.

"It's a new experience, right? Seattle has a new arena and, really, a new fan base. It's a young fan base, so it's cool to see people getting into it," Golon said. "There's Kraken gear everywhere. The logo is everywhere — bars, restaurants, anywhere you go, they're selling stuff. And it seems like the city's really taken to the team."

While it's fun to see new cities and other teams, it's the Blueshirts who have really captivated their family, said Gibbons.

"As someone who's been invested in the Rangers for so long, I've seen the ups and downs. I've never wavered," Gibbons said. "Me personally, I'm really excited to see where this program is going. The Rangers have just brought our family so many memories."

In Sunday's game, defenseman Zac Jones proved Gibbons point. After scoring his first goal of the season, he said its fans like Gibbons and Golon who make playing for the Rangers so special.

"There's nothing like Rangers fans. It's pretty incredible ... It's kind of like we have a home game every night," Jones said to Jennifer Streeter postgame. "We're really appreciative of how supportive they are of us and how invested they are. We're really happy that we got to win for them."