I've been torn watching the Thrashers-Rangers series because I grew up following the Rangers and picked up the Thrashers during my time in Atlanta (plus, one of my friends does part-time work for the team). However, it was nearly impossible to get tickets for the games at MSG (obviously), but I lucked into a great seat (club level, although I didn't partake of wait service) for Game 3 via work.
It was one heck of an atmosphere at the beginning and at the end of the game, and in between was some of the most one-sided hockey I'd seen in a long time, and I've been watching the Thrashers since the beginning of the franchise. And yes, it did get really ugly at the end, including Ilya Kovalchuk going right for Sean Avery in the third period. Eventually, I ended rooting for the extra point and the shutout to make the rout look all the more impressive.
As for the celebrity watch, I didn't find Avery's main squeeze and cougar bait, but I spotted three different past and present Sopranos cast members -- Bobby Bacala, Vito Spatafore and Kelli Moltisanti, plus one of the guys from Rescue Me. For good measure, they trotted out this guy to do the anthem, so they meant business. Finally, the Rangers made sure to welcome back former players (as opposed to Rodney Hampton the last time I was there), so they're building things up during the playoffs since the first featured one was this tough guy. I've got to see who's on deck after that.
I will say the energy in the building was amazing (although doing a mocking tomahawk chop at the end of the game was a bit much), and even moreso in Penn Station as a ton of people were on my train back to Jersey. The sweep seems inevitable, and maybe I get a ticket there or not.
In any event, it was fun to actually experience playoff hockey at the Garden.
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