Even though I’ve got a nasty cough and cold, Thursday was the Rangers’ home opener so I dragged myself down to MSG for the game. Not only was it the home opener, but it was against Montreal who my boy Alex Kovalev plays for, so I really didn’t want to miss it. I got there about half an hour early and it was exciting just to see the players warming up as the crowd was still filing in. No negativity at all from the fans which was surprising considering the year of hockey we missed due to the labor dispute last year. The anticipation was great, everyone looking forward to the new rules changes too. They opened with a video of fans talking about their excitement for the coming season, and of the players thanking the fans for sticking with the NHL. Pretty cool I guess, although if they really wanted to thank us for coming back, they should have given us something a little nicer than the cheap ol’ vinyl Rangers “Thank You” banner they were giving away. Anyway, the game was pretty exciting, lots of power plays, and the Rangers tied it in the last minutes of the 3rd period in order to force OT. Overtime however was not so fun, as the Rangers goalie was beaten by an unblocked play directly in front of him. He really should have stopped that shot. Oh well. Alex got an assist, and when they announced it, he got booed, even though I spotted a ton of Kovalev Rangers jerseys in the crowd. As for the rules changes, it did seem to cause a lot of penalties, but it’s good that they did away with the 2-line pass rule (even though Montreal scored a goal on a play started by what would have been a 2 line pass under the old rules). I was hoping the game would be tied after OT just so I could see the other new rule in effect which would have them go to penalty shots. Not this time. But I must say, it is good to have hockey back.