Home / News / New York Rangers fans take over Capital One Arena during Caps’ matinee game: ‘Most I’ve seen in years’

New York Rangers fans take over Capital One Arena during Caps’ matinee game: ‘Most I’ve seen in years’

By Ian Oland

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April 2, 2023 5:33 pm

The Washington Capitals have won only two games in their last 10. On Sunday, they took on the New York Rangers in a position they haven’t been in for nearly two decades.

After losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 on Thursday, the Capitals clinched its first sub-90 point full-season since the 2006-07 campaign, during a rebuild in Alex Ovechkin’s sophomore season. The Caps haven’t quite mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but Money Puck had the team’s chances at 0.0 percent even before Sunday’s loss.

This reality was felt as Rangers fans took over Capital One Arena for the matinee game.

According to an informal Twitter poll, Capitals season ticket holders estimated that Capital One Arena was about one-third full of Rangers fans. While Caps fans held the advantage in sheer numbers, Rangers fans “definitely brought way more energy which made their numbers seem a lot bigger,” Caps fan Ryan, who was at the game, said.

The Rangers got massive cheers in the first period when K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere scored two minutes and two seconds apart.

There were also loud “Igor!” chants for goaltender Igor Shesterkin when he made a big save, while refrains of “let’s go Rangers” were loud enough to be heard over the broadcast.

After Mika Zibanejad scored to make it 5-2 Rangers, Caps fan Curt took a video from his glass side seats and captured the loud celebration.

This was the “most (Rangers fans) I’ve seen in years although they always do travel well,” Curt observed.

“Section 410 or 411 was full of NYR fans, seemed like rows H to N in that section were entirely New Yor Rangers fans,” Caps STH’er Amsley, who sits in section 408, said. “There were lots of them scattered around all the other sections near me too. But that huge group was so loud, had a bike horn, and seemed to start the Let’s Go Rangers chants.”

Capitals fan Kelly told us: “Granted the section I’m in (430) is mostly Rangers fans, but the Let’s Go Rangers chants are crazy loud compared to Let’s Go Caps… The boos for Tom during the intro video. I feel like I’m at MSG.”

Rob observed that it was worse than Yankees fans at Oriole Park Camden Yards.

Rangers fans were likely able to get their hands on tickets as Capitals’ STH’ers have the ability to put their seats up for sale on NHL Ticket Exchange by Ticketmaster if they don’t want to attend the game. Some fans sell games against local geographic rivals as demand is high for the game. It can allow them to claw money back on their ticket plans. There were also some regular tickets up for sale, but the resale tickets from season ticket holders tend to be cheaper.

The matinee game, right smack dab in the middle of the day, also made it a perfect game to attend for traveling Rangers fans. It allowed them to drive down from New York and the surrounding area in the morning and travel back home in the late afternoon.

Photo: Alexander O’Reilly

How full or raucous Capital One Arena is these final two weeks of the season will be interesting as the Capitals finish out the schedule. Only three home games remain for the Caps: one each against the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils.

“When the building is overrun, and the team gets run over, it’s definitely a less-than-ideal combo,” Caps fan Goat observed.

Headline photo: @pennybacker/Twitter

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