The Rangers honored first responders prior to their 2024 NHL Stadium Series game against the Islanders on Sunday.
The Blueshirts arrived at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey in NYPD and FDNY cars wearing special jerseys honoring both departments.
Each player walked in with a firefighter or police officer.
Puck drop for the Rangers-Islanders game is set for around 3:45 p.m.
It’s the second straight day MetLife Stadium has hosted an NHL Stadium Series game as the Devils defeated the Flyers in East Rutherford Saturday night.
There’s plenty on the line for both teams on Sunday in what is their first clash of the 2023-24 season.
The division-leading Rangers are riding a six-game winning streak and trying to create more cushion between them and the second-place Hurricanes, who entered the day four points back of the Blueshirts.
The Islanders, meanwhile, are five points behind the Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand; the Devils are two points back of Detroit.
“I think everybody wants to soak it in and make sure that you’re really relishing the moment, how awesome of an experience it is to play in an outdoor game,” Rangers center Vincent Trocheck said in the leadup to the game. “But once you get on the ice, it’s all business and it’s all just another game in the regular season.”
These are the first NHL games Metlife Stadium has hosted, but not the first time the Devils, Islanders, and Rangers have played in outdoor games.
The Rangers played both the Islanders and Devils in 2014 Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium, winning both.
The Blueshirts also won the 2012 Winter Classic over the Flyers in Philadelphia and the 2018 Winter Classic over the Sabres at Citi Field.
