Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

MSG, The Garden, The World's Most Famous Arena
The current Madison Square Garden in 2006
Location	4 Pennsylvania Plaza (8th Avenue & 33rd Street), Manhattan, New York City, NY 10001
Coordinates	40°45′2″N 73°59′37″W / 40.75056°N 73.99361°W / 40.75056; -73.99361Coordinates: 40°45′2″N 73°59′37″W / 40.75056°N 73.99361°W / 40.75056; -73.99361
Opened	Former locations: 1879, 1890, 1925 Current location: February 11, 1968
Owner	Cablevision (through Madison Square Garden, L.P.)
Operator	Cablevision
Construction cost	$123 million USD
Architect	Charles Luckman Associates
Capacity	Basketball: 19,763 Ice hockey / Lacrosse: 18,200 Concert: 20,000 WaMu Theater: 5,600
Tenants
New York Rangers (NHL) (1968-present) New York Knicks (NBA) (1968-present) New York Liberty (WNBA) (1997-present) New York Titans (NLL) (2007-2009) New York Knights (AFL) (1988) New York CityHawks (AFL) (1997-1998) Democratic National Convention (1976, 1980 and 1992) Republican National Convention (2004) Big East Men's Basketball Tournament (NCAA) St. John's Red Storm (NCAA) (1969-present)

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City. It is also the name of the entity which owns the arena and several of the professional sports franchises which play there. There have been four incarnations of the arena: the first two were located at the northeast corner of Madison Square (Madison Avenue and 26th Street) from which the arena derived its name. Subsequently a 17,000-seat Garden (opened December 15, 1925) was built at 50th Street and 8th Avenue, and the current Garden, which opened February 14, 1968, is at 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station. One Penn Plaza stands at the side.

The arena lends its name to the Madison Square Garden Network, and sister channel MSG Plus, two cable television networks that broadcast most sporting events that are held in the Garden, as well as concerts and entertainment events that have taken place at the venue. In 2007 the Arena came second as 'World's Busiest Arena' after the M.E.N. in Manchester, England, United Kingdom^[1].

Madison Square Garden also refers to itself in its advertising campaigns as "The World's Most Famous Arena."

History

"Madison Cottage" on the site of the Fifth Avenue Hotel at Madison Square, NYC, 1852

A lodge had been built three years after James Madison's death in a critical spot at the then-northernmost departure and arrival point in New York City — and named Madison Cottage in honor of the recently deceased fourth president. The site of Madison Cottage would remain a critical crossroads throughout the city's history — after its demise the site gave rise to a park, in turn named Madison Square,^[2] which remains today. Madison Square in turn, gave rise to the names of Madison Avenue and Madison Square Gardens, the latter taking the name of its original location: adjacent to Madison Square — which also remained the location of the second building to carry the name.

The original Madison Square Gardens became a prominent cycling venue and gave rise to a form of track cycle racing, Madison Racing, which remains an Olympic Sport today.

Madison Square Garden II.

1879

The first Madison Square Garden was a 10,000 seat arena that was mainly used as a velodrome. It closed in 1890.

1890–1925

The second Madison Square Garden (now known as Madison Square Garden II), was an 8,000 seat indoor arena that hosted the 1924 Democratic National Convention. It closed in 1924.

1925–1968

Bulldogging champion Cowboy Morgan Evans competition chit at Madison Square Garden's 1928 World Series Rodeo

The third Madison Square Garden was the first not to be located at Madison Square. It was an 18,000 seat indoor arena that hosted the Knicks, Rangers, and Americans. It closed in 1967.

Madison Square Garden Bowl

The Madison Square Garden Bowl was a 72,000 seat outdoor arena in Queens used to host boxing matches.

1968–present

On February 14, 1968 Madison Square Garden IV opened after the Pennsylvania Railroad tore down the above-ground portions of Pennsylvania Station and continued railway traffic underneath. The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above an active railroad system and the platforms of an active railroad station. It was an engineering feat constructed by R.E. McKee of El Paso, Texas.

Public outcry over the demolished Beaux-Arts structure led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The current Garden is the hub of Madison Square Garden Center in the office and entertainment complex formally addressed as Pennsylvania Plaza and commonly known as "Penn Plaza" for the railroad station atop which the complex is located.

In 1972, the Garden's Chairman, Irving Mitchell Felt, suggested moving the Knicks and the Rangers to what was a proposed venue in the New Jersey Meadows (now completed and known as Meadowlands Sports Complex or Izod Center.) This location now hosts its own NBA team (New Jersey Nets) and from 1982–2007, the NHL's New Jersey Devils. The NFL's New York Giants were the only established New York-named team that actually did move there, and they were later joined by the Jets. Felt's efforts fueled controversy between the Garden and New York City over Real Estate Tax. The scenario again flared in 1980 when a reported threat by the Garden supposed a similar move of popular sports teams in an effort to again challenge property tax. Efforts were ignored by city leaders.

MSG was the home arena for the NY Raiders/NY Golden Blades of the World Hockey Association.

In 1991, Garden owners spent $200 million to renovate facilities and add 89 suites. The process involved hundreds of upper-tier seats being removed to make way. The project was designed by Ellerbe Becket.

In 2004–2005 Cablevision (the Garden's owner) battled with the City of New York over proposed West Side Stadium which would compete with the Garden. New stadium proposals halted; and Cablevision announced its own plans to raze the Garden, replace it with high-rise commercial buildings and build a new Garden one block away at the James Farley Post Office site in conjunction with the Moynihan Station project. However, on April 3, 2008 MSG executives announced plans to once again renovate and modernize the current Garden in time for the Knicks and Rangers' 2011–12 seasons,^[3] though the vice president of the Garden says he remains committed to the original Moynihan project - the installation of an extension of Penn Station in the Farley Post Office.

Present operations

The Garden during "Mark Messier Night," January 12, 2006.

The present Garden hosts approximately 320 events a year but it is best known as the home of the New York Rangers of the NHL; the New York Knicks of the NBA and their sister operation the New York Liberty of the WNBA, as well as the Big East Men's Basketball Conference Tournament. The aforementioned professional sports teams play their home games in the arena and are owned by the Garden itself. It also hosts the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus when it comes to New York City (although the Izod Center and Nassau Coliseum also host the circus each year), selected home games for the St. John's men's Red Storm (college basketball), the annual pre and postseason NIT tournaments, the NBA Draft, the Millrose Games athletics meet, and almost any other kind of indoor activity that draws large audiences, such as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and the 2004 Republican National Convention. It has previously hosted the 1976, 1980 and 1992 Democratic National Conventions, and hosted the NFL Draft for many years (now held at Garden-leased Radio City Music Hall). In 2007, over 13,000 fans enjoyed the National Lacrosse League's New York Titans inaugural home opener at Madison Square Garden. In 2008, the Titans played five home games at the Garden.

The Garden hosted the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals simultaneously on two occasions: in 1972 and 1994.

MSG hosted the following All-Star Games:

• 1994 NHL All-Star Game
• 1998 NBA All-Star Game
• WNBA All-Star Games in 1999, 2003, and 2006

MSG also hosted games in the finals:

• NBA Finals:
  • 1970
  • 1972
  • 1973
  • 1994
  • 1999

• Stanley Cup Finals:
  • 1972
  • 1979
  • 1994

Connecticut-based World Wrestling Entertainment considers it a home arena as well, due to the fact that all generations of the McMahon family, including Vince McMahon's father and grandfather, have promoted shows at the Garden.^[4] MSG has hosted several WrestleMania (I, X, XX) and SummerSlam events (1988, 1991, 1998), two Survivor Series (1996, 2002) events and the 2000 and 2008 Royal Rumble. More WWE Championships have been won at MSG than any other arena. WWE's strong relationship with Madison Square Garden prevented competitor World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from ever having a show at the Garden.^{[citation needed]} In 2005, WWE severed business ties with the arena because WWE felt that increased rental costs would prevent them from making a profit in the building. However, over a year later, World Wrestling Entertainment temporarily patched things up with MSG and the hiatus ended with a September 11, 2006 edition of Raw and HEAT. Though they pulled the 20th installment of SummerSlam, which would have been held at the Garden on August 26, 2007. (It was held at the Continental Airlines Arena instead.) WWE continues to make occasional appearances at MSG, and returned for the 2008 Royal Rumble in January.

MSG is also known for its place in the history of boxing. Many of boxing's biggest fights were held at Madison Square Garden, including the Roberto Duran-Ken Buchanan affair, and the first Joe Frazier–Muhammad Ali bout. Before promoters such as Don King and Bob Arum moved boxing to Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden was considered the mecca of boxing. The original 18½' × 18½' ring, which was brought from the second and third generation of the Garden, was officially retired on September 19, 2007 and donated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame after 82 years of service. A 20' × 20' ring replaced it beginning on October 6 of that same year.

The Knicks in action at MSG in the 2008-09 season

Many large popular-music concerts in New York City take place in Madison Square Garden. Particularly famous ones include George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh, The Concert for New York City following the September 11 attacks and John Lennon's final concert appearance before his murder in 1980. The Garden usually hosts a concert each year on New Years Eve, with the Knicks and Rangers usually playing on the road. The Police played their final show of their reunion tour at the Garden in 2008.

Many musical acts released seminal live albums recorded at MSG, including, Céline Dion, Kiss, Whitney Houston, Johnny Cash, Michael Bublé, Beyoncé, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, The Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, Luis Miguel, Shania Twain, Jay-Z, Led Zeppelin, Fania All Stars, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Joel, Phish, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Metallica, Mary J Blige, Gwen Stefani, George Michael, Depeche Mode, U2, The Rolling Stones, Britney Spears, Shakira, Slayer, Kelly Rowland, Gareth Gates, Justin Timberlake, Linkin Park, NSYNC, Nine Inch Nails, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Spice Girls, The Who, Enrique Iglesias, Oasis, Ricky Martin, Barbra Streisand, RBD, Green Day, and Se7en. Other artists, yet including Led Zeppelin and others such as Dispatch, Janet Jackson, Pearl Jam, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Victor Manuelle have released DVDs showing their live performances at the Garden. Some of these releases, such as by Cream and Michael Jackson, Black Lions, show special anniversary or reunion concerts at the venue. An extensive list of live performances played at the venue is included below. On August 14, 2009, CBS Television showed "Neil Diamond: Hot August Night NYC" which was a concert taped at the Garden earlier.

The arena is also used for other special events, including tennis and circus events. The New York Police Academy, New York University, Baruch College/CUNY and Yeshiva University also hold their annual graduation ceremonies at Madison Square Garden. It hosted the Grammy Awards in 1972, 1997 and 2003 (which are normally held in Los Angeles) as well as the Latin Grammy Awards in 2006. The Garden also hosted the 2005 Country Music Association Awards (normally held in Nashville).

The Big East Conference men's basketball tournament has been held at MSG every year since 1983 making it the longest period a conference tournament has been held at a single location. The PBR has even made frequent stops each year.

Seating

Seating in the present Madison Square Garden is arranged in six ascending levels. The first level, which is only available for basketball games and concerts, but not for hockey games and ice shows, is the "floor" or "court-side" seating. Next above this is the loge seating, followed by the 100-level and 200-level promenades, the 300-level promenade, and the 400-level or mezzanine. The seats of these levels originally bore the colors red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, respectively. For hockey, the Garden seats 18,200; for basketball, 19,763; and for concerts 20,000 center stage, 19,522 end-stage. The arena features 20,976 square feet (1949 m²) of arena floor space.

Court set for St. John's basketball game

Because all of the seats, except the 400 level, are in one monolithic grandstand, distance from the arena floor is significant from the ends of the arena. Also, the rows rise much more gradually than other North American arenas, which can cause impaired sight lines, especially when sitting behind tall spectators or one of the concourses.

Other venues

Today's Madison Square Garden is more than just the arena. Other venues at the Garden include:

• The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, which seats between 2,000 and 5,600 for concerts and can also be used for meetings, stage shows, and graduation ceremonies, and was also the traditional home of the NFL Draft until 2005, when it moved to the Jacob Javits Convention Center after MSG management opposed a new stadium for the New York Jets. It also occasionally hosts major boxing matches on nights when the main arena is unavailable. No seat is more than 177 feet (54 m) from the 30' × 64' stage. The theatre has a relatively low 20-foot (6.1 m) ceiling at stage level^[5] and all of its seating except for boxes on the two side walls is on one level slanted back from the stage. There is an 8,000-square-foot (740 m²) lobby at the theater. When the current Garden opened in 1968, the Theater was known as the Felt Forum, in honor of then president Irving Felt. In the early 1990s, it was renamed the Paramount to be the successor to the Paramount Theatre in Times Square which had been converted to an office tower (the name change being due to the fact that Paramount Communications (which had previously been known as Gulf+Western) owned the Garden during this period). The theater received its next name of The Theater at Madison Square Garden in the mid-90s, after Viacom bought Paramount, and sold the MSG properties to a group consisting of ITT and Cablevision, which each owned 50% of the Garden. In 1997, ITT sold their share to Cablevision, giving the cable company full control of the venue. The fall 1999 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament as well as a Celebrity Jeopardy! competition were held at the theater. In 2004, it was the venue of the Survivor: All Stars finale. On May 17, 2007, the theater received its current name due to a naming rights deal with Washington Mutual. Since Washington Mutual is no longer a bank after being seized by the Office of Thrift Supervision and FDIC and sold to JP Morgan Chase, the fate of the name is currently unknown.^[6] Since 2001, the WaMu Theatre has been the site of the NBA Draft.
• The 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m²) Expo Center (formerly known as "The Rotunda") is used for trade shows, cat shows, stamp shows, often in combination with the arena, banquets, and receptions.
• A 9,500-square-foot (880 m²) terrace and two restaurants: the Garden Club and the Play-by-Play.

Other corporate operations

In addition to the Garden itself, Madison Square Garden, L.P. also operates two theaters in Manhattan: Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theatre. In 2008, they took over operations of the Chicago Theatre, marking the first time MSG has operated a facility outside New York City area.

Past corporate operations

Madison Square Garden also used to operate the XL Center (formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center) and Rentschler Field under contract with the state of Connecticut until the 2007 season when it was replaced by Northland/Anschutz Entertainment Group.^[7][8]

The XL Center, an indoor arena in Hartford, Connecticut, is home to the Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The arena also serves as the part-time home of the men's and women's basketball teams of the University of Connecticut.

Rentschler Field, a stadium in East Hartford, hosts UConn's college football team. It was built for the University of Connecticut after a plan to build a larger stadium that would have accommodated both the Huskies and New England Patriots fell through. It also hosts various concerts and soccer matches.^[8]

Renovation

Madison Square Garden was set to be renovated after the 2009-10 hockey season, but was delayed until after the 2010-11 hockey season.

New features include a larger entrance that will include interactive kiosks, retail, climate controlled space, and broadcast studio; larger concourses; new lighting and LED video systems with HDTV; new seating; more dining options; and improved dressing rooms, locker rooms, green rooms, and production offices, among other upgrades. The lower bowl is currently expected to be ready for the 2011-2012 seasons and upper bowl for the 2012-2013 seasons. Renovation will be done in phases with the majority done in the summer months to minimize disruptions and will remain operational throughout the NHL and NBA seasons.

Notable firsts and significant events

Film, television and popular culture

Food court at Madison Square Garden

As an iconic figure, Madison Square Garden has made various appearances in film and television programs. It was featured in the 1979 Robert Redford film The Electric Horseman. Madison Square Garden is featured in the opening scenes of Highlander (1986), which included footage of former tag team The Fabulous Freebirds. (It is worth noting, however, that only the exterior was used; the interior shots were from the then Brendan Byrne Arena). The Garden's marquee is seen in the 1984 comedy film, Top Secret! advertising a concert by the protagonist, Nick Rivers. In 1988 it featured scenes in the cult comedy hit Coming to America. The Madison Square Garden on 50th Street was the scene for the climax of the movie The Manchurian Candidate, starring Frank Sinatra. There are actually a couple of really nice shots of the inside of the Garden.

Several boxing-themed Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoon shorts take place at the "Madison Round Garden", an obvious reference to the actual arena.

Madison Square Garden was the "nest" for the carnivorous Godzilla babies and was later destroyed by F/A-18s in the Americanized version of Godzilla (1998). Madison Square Garden was featured in the films Glitter, Forget Paris, Finding Forrester, and the Adam Sandler remake of Mr. Deeds. In Paternity, Burt Reynolds plays the manager of the Garden. The famous scene from Citizen Kane with Orson Welles standing in front of his giant picture took place in the third Garden (though it was not filmed there).

In the movie Rocky III, the rematch between Clubber Lang and Rocky Balboa is in the Garden.

The American sitcom Friends has used shots of Madison Square Garden several times. In the episode The One with George Stephanopoulos, Chandler, Joey, and Ross go to see a Rangers game, in The One with the Late Thanksgiving, Joey and Ross are late to Thanksgiving dinner because they go to see a Rangers game and in The One Where Rachel's Sister Baby-Sits Mike proposes to Phoebe on the big screen during a Knicks game. The Garden was also frequently featured on Seinfeld, as characters sporadically attended Rangers or Knicks games; David Putty's face-painting as a fan of the New Jersey Devils features the infamous Blue seats.

The 1996 film Eddie starring Whoopi Goldberg, in which die hard Knicks fan Edwina Franklin (Goldberg) becomes the coach of the team, takes place at Madison Square Garden. Interior scenes were filmed inside the Charlotte Coliseum, which was re-dressed to look like the MSG interior.

The arena has also made various appearances on television. The television series Futurama, set in the year 3000, features "Madison Cube Garden" which appears like a cube standing on one partially-buried corner.

In episode 409 of South Park, Something You Can Do With Your Finger, Cartman has a dream where he, Stan, Kyle and Kenny perform there in their boy band dubbed "Fingerbang".

The garden's front rail was frontside boardslided by skateboarder Brian Anderson in Girl Skateboards' Yeah Right!

One of the concert venues in the video game Rock Band is a fictitious New York concert hall called "Empire Square Garden", a clear reference to The Garden.^[9]

In the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, the character Ryohei Sasagawa, obsessed with boxing said he always saw stars and the Madison Square Garden, even when it was the afternoon.

Madison Square Garden was also featured in Madonna's 2006 CD/DVD I'm Going to Tell You a Secret. The DVD is a documentary that follows Madonna on her 2004 Re Invention Tour.

A scene in the romantic comedy Hitch takes place at Madison Square Garden during a Knicks basketball game.

In 1985 and then again in 2007, Schwinn introduced a bicycle named the Madison, after the popular Madison Races which originated at the first Madison Square Garden — when located next to Madison Square.

Events

Notes

References

• McShane, Larry. "Looking Back at 125 Years of Madison Square Garden". NYC.gov. http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=1255. Retrieved August 7 2005. 
• "MSG: Corporate Information". http://www.thegarden.com/inandaroundgarden_corporate.html. Retrieved August 7 2005. 
• "Rent The Garden". http://www.thegarden.com/Rentthegarden/general_venue_capacity.html. Retrieved August 7 2005. 
• Bagli, Charles V. (September 12, 2005). "Madison Square Garden's Owners Are in Talks to Replace It, a Block West". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/12/nyregion/12garden.html. 
• Huff, Richard (August 22, 2006). "Arena's the star of MSG revamp". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/441545p-371931c.html. 
• Anderson, Dave (February 19, 1981). "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; DUES FOR THE CITY". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/19/sports/no-headline-011498.html?&pagewanted=print. 
• "WaMu Buys Naming Rights to MSG Theater". San Francisco Chronicle. The Associated Press. May 17, 2007. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/17/financial/f034003D65.DTL. 
• "WaMu Theater at MSG". Madison Square Garden. June 24, 2007. http://www.wamuatmsg.com/. 

External links

• The Garden.com
• "A Garden Built For Tomorrow," Sports Illustrated, January 2, 1967.

Links to related articles Preceded by MSG III Home of the New York Rangers 1968 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by MSG III Home of the New York Knicks 1968 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by first arena Home of the New York Liberty 1997 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by first arena Home of the New York Titans 2007 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by New York Knights New York CityHawks 1997 – 1998 Succeeded by Hartford Civic Center Preceded by Cow Palace Gund Arena Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1968 1998 Succeeded by Baltimore Civic Center The Arena in Oakland Preceded by Metropolitan Sports Center Montreal Forum Host of the NHL All-Star Game 1973 1994 Succeeded by Chicago Stadium Fleet Center Preceded by The Summit ATP World Tour Finals Venue 1977-1990 Succeeded by Festhalle Frankfurt Preceded by The Forum Oracle Arena WTA Tour Championships Venue 1977 1979-2000 Succeeded by Oracle Arena Olympiahalle Preceded by First Venue Host of WrestleMania (I) 1985 Succeeded by Nassau Coliseum Rosemont Horizon L.A. Sports Arena Preceded by Caesars Palace Host of WrestleMania X 1994 Succeeded by Hartford Civic Center Preceded by Safeco Field Host of WrestleMania XX 2004 Succeeded by Staples Center Preceded by AT&T Center Home of the Royal Rumble 2008 Succeeded by Joe Louis Arena Preceded by Arrowhead Pond Home of the Royal Rumble 2000 Succeeded by New Orleans Arena Preceded by Miami Beach Convention Center The Omni Host of the Democratic National Convention 1976, 1980 1992 Succeeded by Moscone Center United Center Preceded by First Union Center Host of the Republican National Convention 2004 Succeeded by Xcel Energy Center Preceded by Hollywood Palladium Shrine Auditorium Staples Center Host of the Grammy Awards 1972 1997 2003 Succeeded by Tennessee Theatre Radio City Music Hall Staples Center Preceded by Shrine Auditorium Host of the Latin Grammy Awards 2006 Succeeded by Mandalay Bay Events Center v • d • e Cablevision Systems Corporation Madison Square Garden, L.P. 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• New Jersey Nets • Toronto Raptors Culture and Lore Willis Reed limping onto the court • Eddie • Spike Lee • The Disputed Foul Against Scottie Pippen • 1994 NBA Finals • 1999 NBA Finals • Scott Layden • Isiah Thomas • Knickerbocker • Knicks–Nuggets brawl • Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray? • Mike Walczewski • George Kalinsky Media TV: MSG Network • Radio: WEPN-AM • Announcers: Mike Breen • Walt Frazier • Gus Johnson • John Andariese • Kelly Tripucka v • d • e New York Liberty Founded in 1997 • Based in New York City, New York The Franchise Franchise • Current season Arenas Madison Square Garden Head Coaches Nancy Darsch • Richie Adubato • Pat Coyle • Anne Donovan Seasons 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 Playoff Appearances 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 WNBA Finals Appearances 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 Rivals Connecticut Sun • Indiana Fever Lore Liberty Outdoor Classic Dance Teams Torch Patrol, Lil' Torches, Timeless Torches v • d • e New York Rangers The franchise Franchise • History • Seasons • Records • General managers • Head coaches • Players • Award winners • Draft picks • Broadcasters Arenas Madison Square Garden III • Madison Square Garden IV Team captains Cook • Coulter • Heller • Colville • O'Connor • Eddolls • Stanley • Raleigh • Howell • Sullivan • Bathgate • Henry • Nevin • Hadfield • Park • Esposito • Maloney • Tkaczuk • Beck • Greschner • Kisio • Messier • Leetch • Messier • Jagr • Drury Culture and lore Original Six • Curse of 1940 • Atlantic Division rivalries • GAG line • Messier's Guarantee • George Kalinsky • Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Retired numbers 1 • 2 • 3 • 7 • 9 • 9 • 11 • 35 • 99 (league-wide) Stanley Cup Finals (10) Wins: 1928 • 1933 • 1940 • 1994 • Losses: 1929 • 1932 • 1937 • 1950 • 1972 • 1979 Media TV: MSG Network • Radio: WEPN • WABC • Announcers: Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti Minor league affiliates Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) • 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Garden · Time Warner Cable Arena · United Center · Verizon Center · Wachovia Center Western Conference American Airlines Center · ARCO Arena · AT&T Center · EnergySolutions Arena · FedExForum · Ford Center · New Orleans Arena · Oracle Arena · Pepsi Center · Rose Garden · Staples Center · Target Center · Toyota Center · US Airways Center v • d • e Current arenas in the Women's National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Allstate Arena · Conseco Fieldhouse · Madison Square Garden · Mohegan Sun Arena · Philips Arena · Verizon Center Western Conference ARCO Arena · AT&T Center · BOK Center · KeyArena · Staples Center · Target Center · US Airways Center v • d • e Current Basketball Arenas in the Big East Alumni Hall (Providence women) • Allstate Arena (DePaul men) • Bradley Center (Marquette men) • Carnesecca Arena (St. John's) • Carrier Dome (Syracuse) • Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence men) • Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati) • Freedom Hall (Louisville) • Gampel Pavilion (Connecticut) • Joyce Center (Notre Dame) • Louis Brown Athletic Center (Rutgers) • Madison Square Garden (St. John's men) • McDonough Gymnasium (Georgetown women) • McGuire Center (Marquette women) • The Pavilion (Villanova) • Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh) • Prudential Center (Seton Hall men) • Sullivan Athletic Center (DePaul women) • USF Sun Dome (South Florida) • Verizon Center (Georgetown men) • Wachovia Center (Villanova) • Walsh Gymnasium (Seton Hall women) • WVU Coliseum (West Virginia) • XL Center (Connecticut) v • d • e Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area Active The Bronx Draddy Gymnasium • Gaelic Park • Rose Hill Gymnasium • Yankee Stadium Brooklyn Athletic, Recreation & Wellness Center • Aviator Sports and Recreation • KeySpan Park • Pope Physical Education Center • Schwartz Athletic Center Manhattan Icahn Stadium • Madison Square Garden Queens Aqueduct Racetrack • Arthur Ashe Stadium • Belson Stadium • Carnesecca Arena • Citi Field • Louis Armstrong Stadium • Metropolitan Oval • USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center • West Side Tennis Club Staten Island Richmond County Bank Ballpark • Spiro Sports Center Long Island Belmont Park • Citibank Park • Island Garden • Mitchel Athletic Complex • Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum New Jersey Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium • Giants Stadium • Izod Center • Louis Brown Athletic Center • Mennen Arena • Prudential Center • Rutgers Stadium • TD Bank Ballpark • Yanitelli Center • Yogi Berra Stadium • Yurcak Field Defunct Bronx Coliseum • Capitoline Grounds • Coney Island Velodrome • Eastern Park • Ebbets Field • Dexter Park • Downing Stadium • Hilltop Park • Island Garden (Original) • Long Island Arena • Madison Square Garden (1879) • Madison Square Garden (1890) • Madison Square Garden (1925) • Madison Square Garden Bowl • Polo Grounds • Roosevelt Stadium • Rutgers Stadium (1938) • St. George Cricket Grounds • Shea Stadium • Singer Bowl • Union Grounds • Washington Park • Yankee Stadium (1923) In progress Meadowlands Stadium • Red Bull Arena Proposed Barclays Center • Bergen Ballpark Never built Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium • West Side Stadium v • d • e WrestleMania venues Madison Square Garden (I, X, XX) · Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (2, VII) · Allstate Arena (2, 13, 22) · Nassau Coliseum (2) · Pontiac Silverdome (III) · Trump Plaza (IV, V) · Rogers Centre (VI, X8) · RCA Dome (VIII) · Caesars Palace (IX) · XL Center (XI) · Honda Center (XII, 2000) · TD Garden (XIV) · Wachovia Center (XV) · Reliant Astrodome (X-Seven) · Safeco Field (XIX) · Staples Center (21) · Ford Field (23) · Citrus Bowl (XXIV) · Reliant Stadium (XXV) · University of Phoenix Stadium (XXVI)