Playing at Madison Square Garden will be a big advantage for the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
The debate will go on forever – how much of an "advantage" is home ice advantage?
In Ye Olde Days of "Old Time Hockey," there certainly was an advantage because rink sizes differed in the Original Six Era from 1942 through 1967.
For example Olympia Stadium in Detroit had what amounted to an egg-shaped surface which enabled the home Red Wings to create all kinds of billiard shots off the boards that befuddled the opposition.
The only two rink sizes that were alike way back when were Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and Montreal's Forum – each with a 200 feet long by 85 wide ice surface. Old Madison Square Garden's pond measured 185 by 85 feet.
Nowadays all rinks measure 200 feet long by 85 feet wide; which means that the so-called "advantage" comes down to the crowd noise and its intensity backing the home team.
Alan Greenberg, who has covered the Panthers for more than a decade, points out that large numbers of Rangers fans abound in and around the Sunrise, Florida vicinity.
"They are transplanted New Yorkers," says Greenberg, "and they were Rangers fans when they moved down here; and have remained so. But as the Panthers have become successful, the local Florida fan base has grown."
It's different at Madison Square Garden where one could safely say that 98 percent of the rooters cheer for the Blueshirts and the decibel count underlines that point. You'll know that for sure tonight.
One major difference is media coverage. While the Rangers always have enjoyed a large print and electronic reportorial entourage, this has not always been the case with the Panthers.
A decade ago it was a big deal for the Panthers to have one or two beat reporters covering the team, if that many. Now there are regulars, columnists and all manner of radio and TV types getting into the act.
"By the time we got to the second – Panthers-Bruins – round, this month there were many new media types coming out of the woodwork to cover the team," adds Greenberg. "I hardly could keep count of the crowd and it should grow bigger now that we're in the third round.
"One thing is certain and that is this; South Florida used to be considered a low-fanbase 'Non-Traditional Market.' That has dramatically changed. Give-away tickets have become a thing of the past. Once the Panthers reached the Cup Final last spring this had become a hot hockey town."
And it will reach white heat intensity if the Cats get to the Cup Final again!