Remembering My Very First Rangers Game, A Dream Come True

Andrew Meier tells his story of the first Rangers game he ever attended.

Everyone remembers his first Rangers game but not too many get to tell about it.

Well, starting today, you'll be hearing some neat tales about the first time some select Rangers fans stepped into The World's Most Famous Arena and watched their stickhandlers take on their foes.

In this first of an endless series, Andrew Meier of Newburgh opens his memory bank.

It should be noted that Andy comes from a hockey family. His Dad, Fred Meier, was a 1950 charter member of the Rangers Fan Club. Like The Maven, Fred took many a Fan Club trip to Boston to root for the likes of Gump Worsley and Andy Bathgate against those McNasty Bruins.

And like my dad, Fred took his son Andy to The Garden to continue the family's Ranger tradition. I'll let Andy tell the rest.

"I was either seven or eight years old when my Mom and Dad took me to the Garden. This was when Emile Francis was coaching the team. He was a little guy and I first noticed that he liked to place one of his feet on the bench and put his right hand on his fist while he studied the action. Already, he intrigued me.

"Nobody told me that "The Cat" was a temperamental guy but I was soon to find out. It must have been a close game – and an important game – because when the referee made a call against the Rangers the guy behind the bench went bananas.

"What I recall is that Francis not only went crazy but did something rarely seen. All of a sudden he lost it completely."

(Then a pause.) "Suddenly he opened the gate at the players' bench and ran out on to the ice to get at the ref. He was beyond furious.

"The way I recall it, The Cat's players were just as amazed as I was but they knew that their boss could get into big trouble – if he wasn't already. So two of the Rangers grabbed him – one on each side – and actually picked Emile up off the ice and, with his feet dangling freely in the air, skated him back to the safety of the bench.

"The funny part of all this craziness was that while the players had Francis in the air he still was trying to 'walk.' That was the biggest thing I remember about my first Ranger game but it's one I'll never forget."