Ever had a close encounter with a Ranger that you'd like the world to know about...then drop us a line and we'll add you to the list.

Is That You Rod?
Submitted by Lewis Cohen April 14th, 2009

I have been a Ranger fan since the early sixties.  About a week after the Rangers won the Stanley Cup I went one afternoon to the supermarket, and saw a gentleman who I was sure was Rod Gilbert.  After a few seconds I decided to ask him if he was indeed Rod Gilbert.  I was correct and I will tell you he is as nice a person as they say he is.  He took time to talk to me about the Rangers and the Cup and about the teams he played on.  We shook hands and I thanked him for taking the time to speak to me.  I will always remember how friendly and easy he was to speak to, like he was an old friend.  He was my favorite Ranger player growing up and will be forever.  He is a class act, and a true Ranger icon.

Mom's New Friend
Submitted by slammediam30 July 19th, 2006

I went to my first NHL game at Ottawa a few years ago, must have been 99, when Gretz, Richter, and Beukeboom played. We got to the Corel center early, to pick up our tix that we ordered online. In front of us was this 6ft tall, elderly white/blonde haired woman with a think think accent (sounded, Austrian, but I don't really recall), also waiting for some tickets. Just making chit chat, my mom and her started to talk, and she mentions that she's here to see her son play. So she asks what his name was, turn out, we were talking to Jeff Beukeboom's mother!

Mistaken Identity
Submitted by LETSGORANGERS July 17th, 2006

Several years ago, I went to see the Rangers play in Tampa, because I knew they would stay in the hotel right across from the arena. So I went with my girlfriend at the time and we took her niece, we all got there very early, so we could catch the players walking across the street to practice. We met several of the players, Barnaby, Blackburn, Nedved, and Bure, to name a few, we took pictures and got autographs. We even met Sam and JD, and got to chat with them a while.

We really wanted to meet Messier, but we saw he had taken a bus back and forth from the hotel to the arena. He was on the bus with some of the more popular players, such as Leetch, Richter and Fleury. So we were kind of bummed out and walked back to the hotel lobby. When we got to the entrance we were pleasantly surprised, we could see in through the vestibule windows the back of a bald man in a suit.

We rushed in and ran through the lobby and up to the gentlemen, flabbergasted expecting to meet the Captain. The startled gentleman herd us coming like a stampede, he turned around only to see us even more shocked, and disappointed. It was Sylvan Lefebvre, we politely said never mind, and saw Rem Murray laughing, because he could see that we obviously thought the bald man we saw from out side the hotel was Messier. We asked Rem if he knew where Mess was he shook our hands and shook his head no. He was a nice guy and got a kick out of our enthusiasm to meet the storied leader.

We never did run into Mr. Messier, but all the players we met were very nice and we got a birds eye view of the team in warm ups. Nedved gave us a puck, and Fluery and Mess, acknowledged all the Rangers fans that were in attendance.

We enjoyed the game it was a good one, the Rangers won, and Samuelsson, gouged Lecavalier's eye out in a fight. We ran into Vinny and company later that night and they were pissed, I said good game, with a huge smile on my face.

I look forward to doing it again, Tampa is a good place to go meet the players, as my story tells most of them will just walk across the street, to get to practice. Too bad Our great leader did not that day.

After New York Everything Else Was Just Grave-y
Submitted by Stacy July 17th, 2006

Being a HUGE #9 fan, I was obviously very upset when they traded "my Adam" to San Jose. I vowed to see him in NY the following season so a friend and I started the "Stacy stalks Adam tour" and I went to see San Jose play against the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders over a one week period.

We had no idea how long it would take to get out to the island so we left very early and got there hours before game time. Luckily, one of the friends I was with wanted a picture of the Mausoleum so we went around front to do that and not 15 minutes later, members of the Sharks came walking across the parking lot from their hotel. Here I was in my Rangers #9 jersey when the next thing I know Adam Graves is introducing himself to us. From that point on is a blur.....I cannot for the life of me remember what I said to the man but I got my jersey signed, got my pic taken (which still sits framed on my desk at work), and had a moment I will NEVER forget!

Make a wish
Submitted by TXNYR April 20th, 2002

I am currently living in Houston, Texas (yeah, I know) and find myself having to drive to Dallas just to catch an NHL game. Finally, the NHL decided this year decide to play an exhibition game in Houston. The matchup was the Capitals and the Lightning. Not hardly a game that I would usually find much interest in, but being able to catch an NHL game in Houston is indeed rare. 

A friend of mine was also at the game and somehow this guy always finds me. This night was no different. He had found Barnaby sitting in lower prom and knowing that I am a Barnaby fan, he came to point out where he was sitting. I got to meet him and we talked a bit. I mentioned to him that I really was wishing that he would have become a Ranger instead of going to Tampa Bay. How I think that he could add some grit on the Nedved line and pick up his momentum again as a player. I asked him what he thought about that. He said that he wouldn't mind playing in New York and added "hey, you never know, maybe one day." Three months later he was donning the red, white, and blue! I am also glad to say that he has seemed to have had a resurgence since coming to NYC.

Meeting your favorite player...
Submitted by Frank April 16th, 2002

It was the Rangers-Isles game on Jan. 30th 2002.  

I took my cousin, an Islander fan to his first game, and after the game we went for some autographs.  Now I am not much of an autograph getting type of fan, but being caught up in the moment, I decided to be a kid again.  

Standing outside the Ranger exit, a guy in a suit comes out, and starts signing, I didn't recognize him...he was no Mess, Leetch or Theo.  So he signs my Rangers hat, its white and made out of hockey jersey material.  So he signs it and then writes #55 under his name...Igor "@#%$@" Ulanov.  I say out loud with Igor about a foot from me: "Damn, I didn't think my hat could go down in value."  Well the look on Ulanov's face was priceless.  

That's my fave encounter so far.

A Dinner With Dave Maloney
Submitted by skullcrusher March 17th, 2002

The dinner I had with Dave Maloney some 10 years ago....

Espo shares his thoughts
Submitted by 94 March 16th, 2002