A die-hard Rangers fan from Long Island got the gift of a lifetime when his brother generously plunked down $620 apiece for tickets to Game 1 of the Cup finals in Los Angeles.
Derek Breen, 42, said he hasn’t been to a Blueshirts game in years — because he can’t afford to go.
“I’ve been going to Rangers games since I was 10 years old. They used to be $10 apiece. Now they’re too expensive. I can’t afford it, I don’t go,” said Breen, an insurance broker from Lynbrook, LI, whose brother is a doctor in LA.
“My only chance to see the Rangers in the Stanley Cup was to fly here to Los Angeles,” said Breen, who proudly donned his blue and red Rangers jersey outside the Staples Center alongside brother Sean, 40.
The Rangers, who last took home the silver trophy in 1994, square off Wednesday night against the Kings in the Cup opener and many Blueshirts fans, like Breen, have flocked to California because of cheaper seats.
Ticket prices for the Rangers’ Game 3, 4 and potential championship-clinching Game 6 have skyrocketed into the thousands — while a pass to Wednesday night’s Kings game went for as little as $300, according to California vendor Barry’s Tickets.
“New York is more of a hockey market. The Rangers have been successful and around a lot longer than the Kings,” said Barry Rudin, 49, president of Barry’s Tickets, which has an outpost near the Staples Center. “The New York market is stronger than LA.”
But Mario Jakus, 44, said long-suffering New York fans can’t put a pricetag on catching history in the making. The Saddlebrook, NJ, man hopped on a 6 a.m. flight out of Newark on Wednesday after his pal offered up free suite-seat tickets to Game 1.
“It’s been 20 years. If someone tells you an event only comes around every 20 years, how can you put a value on that?” said Jakus, who wound up paying $800 total for a flight and hotel to see his favorite team.
“Hockey fans have a different passion. The Yankees and the Dodgers are always in it. The Rangers — we’re the underdog.”
For the fans who couldn’t afford to shell out the big bucks, they could catch their home team — and even a handful ‘94 Cup champions — at Bryant Park, which was transformed into Rangerstown on Wednesday for a free viewing party.
“It’s a nice surprise because not that many people were expecting them to go so far. They had a slow start,” said Stephane Matteau, the left wing who famously scored two overtime goals in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994 against the New Jersey Devils, propelling the Rangers to their eventual Cup championship.
His advice for this year’s Rangers?
“Enjoy! Have fun. In two weeks, it’s all going to be over. The best team will win.”
Additional reporting by Amber Sutherland