Whoever in the MSG organization responsible for staging the “unrequited marriage proposal” stunt at the Garden yesterday afternoon need not have bothered. The Ranger game was entertaining enough. It was actually one of the more exciting games of the season. There was no need to divert the attention of the crowd away from the usual sub-par product on the ice surface for a change.

The stunt actually could have backfired and distracted the attention of the team away from the job at hand. The Rangers had managed to tie the score on Avery’s penalty shot goal and Prospal’s put home in the slot. It was an ill-timed and misjudged bit of tom foolery, to say the least. 

Erik Christiansen actually had a conversation on the bench with Vinnie Prospal about it.  Christiansen then went on to score the next two goals to give the Rangers the D2GL. He obviously didn’t care that some stupid guy got dumped by his girlfriend in front of 18,200 fans. It didn’t damaged his young psyche. I wonder if the same can be said about all the little children in attendance?

“Mommy, why did the lady get mad at the nice man who sent her the pretty card on the big screen?” What would you tell your child.  “Gee, Jimmy, the man shouldn’t have asked the lady such a question unless he was sure what her answer would be.” Please.

This was a 1pm game. There are always lots of kids in the Garden for matinees. Instead of hiring two actors to fake a marriage proposal, maybe MSG should have spent that money giving children a souvenir instead of a confusing and unwholesome memory at what might have been their first Ranger game. 

Even some of the most cynical and hardened denizens of the Blue Seats (the Homo Larry and Potvin Sucks chanters) thought it unfunny and downer. If this stunt was indeed staged by MSG, the employees responsible need to be fired. While they are at it, they should fire Sather, too.

Posted under New York Rangers