Rangers vs. Lightning: They're on Their Feet at the Garden
We can finally put this nightmare season behind us. But let's stop for one more moment to cherish the great Sam Rosen.
- I was originally going to headline these Game Notes with "Let Us Never Speak of This Again." And as for the season as a whole, that's my sentiment. It's probably yours, too. But then in the third period, when they recognized Sam Rosen on the MSG scoreboard and Sam welcomed it with "they're on their feet at the Garden," well... what choice did I have?
- Ultimately Sam Rosen was the only thing that mattered about that game. We've already said plenty about his incredible career and what he's meant to this organization and this fan base:
More Than a Broadcaster: How Sam Rosen Became Family to Rangers Fans
More than a broadcaster, Sam Rosen has been the heartbeat of Rangers hockey. This is the story of his lasting impact on the Blueshirt faithful.
Chris Feldman
I Got To Hear Him Call Games
Just like with Henrik Lundqvist, it’s been too easy to take Sam Rosen for granted, because he’s always been there, always being great.
Joe Fortunato
- But truly enough can't be said about Sam and his remarkable career. I'm 43 years old and by my count I've worked at eight different places since graduating college. That's not at all that uncommon for an elder Millennial like me. But it's still remarkable when we see someone who has been in the same place for so long, and doing it as exceptionally as Sam Rosen did for his 40 years behind the microphone at Madison Square Garden.
- All the tributes. The Sam View of him and Joe Micheletti calling the game that MSG provided for this broadcast (the only critique of which I have is that they should have put Sam and Joe in the large box and the game in the small one, but whatever). The "Sam Rosen" chants from the Garden Faithful. Naming Sam the first star of the game. It was enough to afford you the space to put this atrocious season out of your mind and just enjoy one last go around. For one last time, they were on their feet at the Garden—for Sam.
- The even better part was the the New York Rangers actually cooperated and played well. And won! I defy you to tell me that winning 4-0 in honor of Sam's 40 years calling the Rangers wasn't providential. The only people who didn't cooperate were the officials (and, I suppose, the Tampa Bay Lightning themselves) in that there was only one penalty called on Tampa, which lasted for a grand total of 13 seconds before Chris Kreider was called for tripping, negating the power play. So we didn't get one final "it's a power play goal!" from Sam. Ah, well, nevertheless.
