Steve Serby

Steve Serby

NHL

Drinks, chants and hugs as New York goes nuts for Rangers

Their Cup Runneth Over with joy, as New York floated on Cloud 1994.

There is no better place to win than New York, which willed its Rangers to the Stanley Cup final Thursday night, and outside the Garden, they were partying like it was 1994.

On the big screen on Seventh Avenue, this photo shined down: 2013-14 Eastern Conference Champions.
They stood five deep in front of the three upstairs big-screen televisions and four smaller ones beneath them inside Stout NYC, a Chris Kreider slap shot from the Garden, for Rangers 1, Canadiens 0.

Every mesmerized eye inside this miniature Madison Square Garden was glued to every anxiety-wracked second. Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga could have walked in with President Obama and few would have noticed.

Suddenly, a roar they might have heard in all the boroughs erupted, and they were hugging and jumping up and down clinging to their beer bottles when Brian Boyle, from behind the net, fed Dominic Moore, who put it past Dustin Tokarski late in the second period, Rangers 1, Canadiens 0.

After the goal, a “Whoa-oh-oooh, whoa-oh-oooh, whoa-oh-oooh, hey hey, hey, hey, hey” chant rang good and loud inside miniature Madison Square Garden.

“Everyone got free shots,” Niki Baldinger said.

“They were blue!” Samantha Troy exclaimed.

Toward the end, as Henrik Lundqvist stoned the desperate Habs, they chanted “Hen-rik, Hen-rik, Hen-rik.”

And then: “We want the Cup. We want the Cup. We want the Cup.”

And then: “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” and pandemonium, beers hoisted skyward and an unmistakable New York hockey roar that hadn’t been heard in 20 years.

And again: “We want the Cup. We Want the Cup. We want the Cup.”

The jubilant Rangers fans stopped outside the Seventh Avenue exit, hundreds singing: “We want the Cup, We want the Cup, We Want the Cup,” followed by Hen-rik, Hen-rik, Hen-rik,” and “USA, USA, USA” and “Let’s Go Ran-gers.” And as they headed into the night, “Ole, Ole, Ole.” Then another round of “We Want the Cup.”

During the game, each and every Rangers assault on Dustin Tokarski had been met with a groan or an “Ohhhhh!” when denied.

A roar went up early when former Devil Brian Gionta headed to the penalty box after crashing into Lundqvist.

They implored Rangers players to “Shoot It!” on the power play, chanted “Let’s Go Ran-gers” to no avail.

Tokarski stopped a Mats Zuccarello wrist shot: “Ohhhhhhh!” Then a Kreider redirect in front of the net: “Ohhhhhhh!”

When the Canadiens stormed the net late in the first period and Lundqvist stood on his head, there were more chants of “Hen-rik … Hen-rik … Hen-rik.”

When Carl Hagelin streaked in at the start of the second period for what would have been a shorthanded goal that hit the post: “Ohhhhhh!”

Rangers fans began to cheer, then held their heads in their hands in disbelief when a shot by Kreider ricocheted off Tokarski, hit the right post, and trickled out and away.

Ryan McDonagh swooping in: “Ohhhhhhh!”

Now a Rangers power play following tripping against Andrei Markov, and the “Let’s Go Ran-gers” chant grew louder.

Later, a backhand by Thomas Vanek deflected off the stick of Dan Girardi, batted into the air by a sprawling Lundqvist’s blocker, and here came a deafening: “Hen-rik. … Hen-rik … Hen-rik.”

“He clearly stood on his head right there,” a man named Drew Raphael said. “That’s how the saying goes, right?”

He was, of course, wearing a blue No. 30 Lundqvist jersey.

“I’m having a heart attack,” Raphael said.

But in Henrik Lundqvist They Trusted and were rewarded.

Frank Sommo, 29, wore his blue Lundqvist jersey outside STOUT before heading over for Game 6.

“Lundqvist is the face of New York, he really is,” Sommo said. “He’s like the Derek Jeter of the Rangers. He’s just a class act. He wants it more than anybody. He’s the Captain in my eyes. He’ll fight until the end of the world for anybody.”

Bryan Rubin wore his white Lundqvist jersey outside Stout.

“Lundqvist embodies everything in a true competitive goaltender — he’s consistent, gives his heart, leaves it all out there every night,” Rubin said. “Just a great, all-around example of what it is to be a New York Ranger.”

Rubin was an 8-year-old when the Rangers last won the Cup.

“And I was a big Mike Richter fan, I played goalie my whole life,” Rubin said.

Pam Vagnini, wearing a Lundqvist jersey, also was pumped up.

“He’s a twin, I’m a twin,” she said, “and I think he’s a great goalie.”

No one in The King’s Court was concerned about his Game 5 yanking in Montreal.

“I think everyone’s entitled to a bad game every now and again,” Vagnini said. “He knows what’s on the line here, so I think he’ll bounce back.”

Before the game, outside the Garden, parked by 31st and Seventh, a blue bus adorned with photos of Rangers players filled with frenzied Rangers fans back from a free ride to Times Square erupted in choruses of “Let’s Go Rangers,” and “Hen-rik and “We want the Cup.”

The fans stood waving white towels as they did. As Ron Greschner stood below, posing for photos, they chanted “Gresch-ner,” and “Get on the bus!” Then the bus made a right onto 31st and disappeared, while fans aboard another one parked outside Penn Station booed a small group wearing Canadiens jerseys.

You only can imagine what it would be like for a lifelong Rangers fan to be back in the Stanley Cup final.

“It would be great. I know I’m going to sound jaded, but it’ll never be like ‘94, for me,” Cathy Hoehl said.

Why?

“It just won’t be. ’94 was SO unbelievable that, as much as it’d be great for them to win the Cup, it just won’t be like ’94. It’ll never be like ’94 again.”

It’s just 20 years between drinks this time, no Curse, no taunting “19-40” chants.

But here her daughter Natalie steps up and says: “I was only three years old in ’94, so this’ll be pretty awesome for me.” She was smiling. “I’ll take it. I’ll take it.”

Four more wins, and she’s got it.