Knicks Proudly Cheer on Rangers Brethren
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Patrick Ewing, Jr., Andy Rautins and Landry Fields cheer on the Rangers.
George Kalinsky for Madison Square Garden
It was a raucous opening night at The Garden, and between the crowd, atmosphere and buzz in The World's Most Famous Arena, the Knicks were loving every minute of it.
And they weren't even on the court.
Landry Fields, Roger Mason Jr., Timofey Mozgov, Andy Rautins, Ronny Turiaf and Patrick Ewing Jr. were on hand to cheer on the New York Rangers as they fell 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs at MSG.
"I am so excited for this game to start," said Fields during the pre-game ceremony. "This is my first hockey game so I am excited to see what it is all about. And this atmosphere, it gets me so pumped for our opener. The fans here in New York, they love all their sports teams that are here in the city. So you really can't ask for anything better."
Fellow rookie Rautins echoed those sentiments.
"You look at the fans that were here well before the game started. It's lively in here, and its incredible," he said. "You can tell that New York has the best fan base in the country and I think we are going to get the same thing on our opening night."
The Russian Mozgov was also extremely impressed by the fans -- noting he has never seen crowds like he has at The Garden.
"(In Russia), there are (about) 6,000 fans," he said. "Here there is (three times) that amount. It is fun. It is New York."
The Knicks and Rangers not only share the same home building but also the same training facility. As a result, the two teams have formed a strong bond that has extended beyond sports.
"We see the guys off the ice a lot and you get to mingle with them and know them," said Rautins. "It makes you want to root for them hard here at the games and support them. And I think it is going to be the same for our games as well. We hope to see them there and I am sure they will come out."
Ewing, Jr. echoed those sentiments.
"It is a lot of fun to come here with my teammates and support the guys that we eat lunch with every day," he said. "They are a really great bunch of guys, and they are a good team, so it is always fun to come to their games."
For Turiaf, the experience gave him a chance to also bond with the New York fans.
"This is my first time coming to The Garden to see another team play, and it is pretty cool. It is a different feeling than playing on the court. I am sitting here and feel the energy of the fans and I feel that we are together, and it is a pretty cool feeling. It makes me want to go out and play even harder on the court for them."
And they weren't even on the court.
Landry Fields, Roger Mason Jr., Timofey Mozgov, Andy Rautins, Ronny Turiaf and Patrick Ewing Jr. were on hand to cheer on the New York Rangers as they fell 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs at MSG.
"I am so excited for this game to start," said Fields during the pre-game ceremony. "This is my first hockey game so I am excited to see what it is all about. And this atmosphere, it gets me so pumped for our opener. The fans here in New York, they love all their sports teams that are here in the city. So you really can't ask for anything better."
Fellow rookie Rautins echoed those sentiments.
"You look at the fans that were here well before the game started. It's lively in here, and its incredible," he said. "You can tell that New York has the best fan base in the country and I think we are going to get the same thing on our opening night."
The Russian Mozgov was also extremely impressed by the fans -- noting he has never seen crowds like he has at The Garden.
"(In Russia), there are (about) 6,000 fans," he said. "Here there is (three times) that amount. It is fun. It is New York."
The Knicks and Rangers not only share the same home building but also the same training facility. As a result, the two teams have formed a strong bond that has extended beyond sports.
"We see the guys off the ice a lot and you get to mingle with them and know them," said Rautins. "It makes you want to root for them hard here at the games and support them. And I think it is going to be the same for our games as well. We hope to see them there and I am sure they will come out."
Ewing, Jr. echoed those sentiments.
"It is a lot of fun to come here with my teammates and support the guys that we eat lunch with every day," he said. "They are a really great bunch of guys, and they are a good team, so it is always fun to come to their games."
For Turiaf, the experience gave him a chance to also bond with the New York fans.
"This is my first time coming to The Garden to see another team play, and it is pretty cool. It is a different feeling than playing on the court. I am sitting here and feel the energy of the fans and I feel that we are together, and it is a pretty cool feeling. It makes me want to go out and play even harder on the court for them."
