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Upcoming New York Rangers dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Rangers seats at the Garden: the short answer
For most New York Rangers games, the seat to buy is a sideline section at center ice in the 100 level, row 10 or higher. Madison Square Garden seats 18,006 for hockey, and from those rows you clear the dasher boards (the waist-high wall around the rink) and the glass, so you see both nets, both benches and every line change.
- Best value: the front half of the 200 level, either sideline or end.
- Two periods of Rangers offense: the end near sections 215 to 220, per one seating guide.
- Loudest crowd: the Blue Seats, high in the 400s.
- Skip for regular viewing: the back rows of the Blue Seats and the Chase Bridges.
The regular season starts in late September or early October and ends in mid-April; a playoff run keeps the Garden busy into June.
Four tiers in a round building
The current Garden opened on February 11, 1968, and a renovation finished in phases between 2011 and 2013 rebuilt the seating bowl. The building is circular, so each tier wraps the rink as a ring. Hockey takes up more floor than basketball, which is why the hockey count is lower than the Knicks count.
The 100 level
The lower bowl, roughly 22 rows deep. Rows 1 to 9 put you close to the hitting along the boards, but the glass blocks part of the near side. Rows 10 to 22 are where the view opens up.
The 200 level
The upper bowl, about 25 rows. Hockey is a game of spacing, and height helps you read it: you see passing lanes, gaps and defensive coverage forming before the puck gets there.
The Chase Bridges
Two walkways hung about 94 feet above the floor, each with two rows of seats looking straight down. It is a novelty angle that flattens the action, so it suits a second visit better than a first.
The Blue Seats
Short, high sections numbered in the 400s, long the home of the most vocal Rangers fans. Chants start here. Seating guides warn that the back rows can have obstructions.
Resale listings often use premium-area names instead of plain section numbers. Read the section number on the listing before you commit.
Sections 215 to 220: picking an end at MSG
In hockey, teams swap ends after every period, so the home team attacks the same net in the first and third periods. RateYourSeats lists the Rangers as shooting twice toward sections 215 to 220. Sitting at that end, in the 100s or 200s, gives you two periods of New York attacking toward you.
End seats make sense for a second reason: a rush coming straight at you is easy to follow, and end sections usually cost less than the sideline at the same height. The Garden does not publish the attack end, so check it against the seat map for your listing and watch warmups to confirm.
The glass
Row 1 against the glass is about sensation: the speed, the sound of bodies hitting the boards, a view television cannot give you. It is a weak seat for following anything at the far end. Treat it as a one-time purchase rather than your standing choice.
When the 200s beat the 100s
The first rows of the 200 level frequently show more of the game than the last rows of a 100-level end section, and they usually cost less. If your budget forces a choice between a low upper-bowl seat and a high lower-bowl seat behind the net, take the upper bowl.
Islanders, Devils and the Saturday crowd
From 2026–27, NHL teams play an 84-game schedule, 42 of those games at home, after a shortened four-game preseason in September. The 2026–27 regular season runs from September 29, 2026, to April 10, 2027. Playoffs, four best-of-seven rounds, follow into June.
The Rangers sell well against anyone. A few opponents and dates push demand higher still:
- New York Islanders: the Battle of New York, first played on October 21, 1972. Both fan bases show up, and the building splits.
- New Jersey Devils: the Hudson River Rivalry. The clubs have met in seven playoff series since 1992, and Devils fans ride PATH or NJ Transit in.
- Philadelphia Flyers: a division opponent with a traveling crowd.
- Original Six visits: Boston, Toronto and Montreal draw their own followings.
- Weekend matinees, Saturday nights and holiday weeks: tourists join the regulars.
Home playoff games carry the highest prices of the year. The easiest way in is a midweek game against a Western Conference team making its one visit of the season.
Penn Station below, no garage above
Getting to a Rangers game is about rail, because the Garden sits directly above Penn Station at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza.
- Commuter and intercity rail: Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit and Amtrak all arrive under the building.
- Subway: the A, C and E stop at 34th Street–Penn Station on Eighth Avenue; the 1, 2 and 3 stop on Seventh Avenue.
- PATH: trains from New Jersey end at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue, two blocks east.
- Driving: the arena has no garage of its own. You will pay for a private garage nearby and wait in traffic after the game.
Entry rules (as of fall 2026)
- Bags must fit under your seat, nothing over 22 by 14 by 9 inches, and every bag is x-rayed.
- There is no bag or coat check, so your winter coat stays with you.
- Tickets are digital; load them before you reach the doors.
- Once you leave, you cannot come back in.
- Concessions are cashless, and a kiosk turns cash into a payment card.
Rules change, so check the Madison Square Garden site before game day. Every Reserved Seat order is backed by a 100% guarantee.
From Rickard's 1926 club to Messier's promise
Tex Rickard founded the Rangers in 1926, and the club won the Stanley Cup in its second season, 1928, the first American NHL team to do so. Titles in 1933 and 1940 followed. Then nothing for 54 years.
The 1994 team ended the wait. One loss from elimination against the Devils in the conference final, captain Mark Messier publicly guaranteed a Game 6 win in New Jersey and scored a hat trick to back it up. Stephane Matteau won Game 7 in double overtime. With defenseman Brian Leetch and goaltender Mike Richter, the Rangers beat Vancouver in a seven-game Final, clinching at the Garden on June 14, 1994, and the Islanders fans' long-running "1940" chant lost its point.
The rivalries carry their own milestones. J. P. Parise's goal 11 seconds into overtime gave the Islanders the clubs' first playoff series in 1975, and the Rangers returned the favor by upsetting the top-seeded Islanders in the 1979 semifinal. Against New Jersey, the Rangers won four of the first five playoff meetings, through 2008; the Devils took the 2012 conference final and a seven-game series in 2023.
After a playoff drought from 1998 to 2005, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist anchored the modern contender, which reached the 2014 Final and lost to Los Angeles. The club won the Presidents' Trophy in 2023–24, then missed the playoffs in 2024–25 and 2025–26. Rosters and coaches turn over, so check the team site for the current lineup. The Garden itself has hosted Final games in 1972, 1994 and 2014 and All-Star Games in 1973 and 1994.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best section at Madison Square Garden for a Rangers game?
A center-ice sideline section in the 100 level, row 10 or higher, gives the fullest view. For value, the front rows of the 200 level are the better buy.
Are the Chase Bridges worth buying for a hockey game?
They are a novelty. The bridges hang about 94 feet above the floor with two rows looking straight down, which flattens the play. Most fans prefer a conventional 200-level seat.
Toward which sections do the Rangers attack in the first and third periods?
RateYourSeats lists sections 215 to 220. The Garden does not publish this, so confirm on your listing's seat map and during warmups.
Can I check my coat or a bag at MSG?
No. As of fall 2026 the Garden has no bag or coat check, and bags larger than 22 by 14 by 9 inches are refused. Check current rules before you go.
When did the Rangers last win the Stanley Cup?
In 1994, ending a 54-year wait. Their other titles came in 1928, 1933 and 1940.
How do I get to a Rangers game by train?
Take the LIRR, NJ Transit or Amtrak to Penn Station, directly under the arena, or the A, C, E, 1, 2 or 3 subway to 34th Street–Penn Station.