Last night I was sitting in Madison Square Garden in my season subscription seats in Section 409 trying to watch the game. I was unable to do so because the couple sitting in front of me chose not to be curtious and follow proper etiquette. They kept getting up and down while play was ongoing.

In fact, the man stood in front of me for over a minute trying to sort out how he was going to hand his girlfriend a tray of beer and food. I missed the entire sequence leading up and including Tampa’s second goal. I received no apology for this inconsiderate behavior. After these people kept getting up and down while play was going on, I spoke to them in a stern manner and said “Look, you must wait for the whistle before exiting and returning to your seats. You are interfering with everyone’s line of sight.”

They both started to give me an argument culminating in the man saying “I have been to many hockey games. You don’t have to wait for the whistle”. The women was angry because she felt I was being rude for chastizing them for their boorish behavior.

I know the subscriber of these seats. He’s a nice guy and a great Ranger fan. I told the man I would advise the subscriber of their behavior and that in future the subscriber should reconsider selling or giving his tickets to people who have no concept of proper hockey viewing “etiquette”.

I also felt that, had I been a man, the situation could have become ugly. Both the man and the woman had consumed several beers and this altercation started to become more animated and vocal then it needed to be.

Season Subscriber’s need to be mindful that the policy of Madison Square Garden is that if a subscriber sells or gives away their seats, they are responsible for the behavior of the occupants. A subscriber can lose their seats if said occupants cause trouble by being argumentative, combative or use foul language.

Unfortunately, when you sit up in the “Blue Seats” you are hard pressed to find security or ushers to enforce the “Wait for the Whistle” rule as they do downstairs in Madison Square Garden. I am sure this inconsiderate behavior occurs all over the league. I have seen public service announcements in some NHL arenas where the host team’s players ask the fans to behave appropriately. MSG should think about playing it right before the game starts. It couldn’t hurt.