Madison Square Garden might be the World’s Most Famous Arena, but to Martin Brodeur it’s the World’s Most Uncomfortable Arena.
The Devils goalie shared his thoughts on MSG following Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Rangers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Brodeur told ESPN New York. “There’s so many bad bounces. The ice is not good, the boards are awful, and the glass makes crazy bounces everywhere.”
“In the second period, I think two or three just went right in front of my net. So mentally it’s a tough game to play because you really have to look at the puck all game long.”
These comments came on a night where the MSG penalty box jammed shut -- with Devils forward Travis Zajac waiting to get in. He was attempting to serve an interference penalty but had to wait several minutes while maintenance fixed the issue.
Hardly a banner night.
That said, Brodeur was complimentary of the Madison Square atmosphere.
“It’s a great place to play playoff hockey,”he said.
In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, we should point out that New Jersey’s arena -- the Prudential Center -- has also come under fire this postseason for lackluster conditions. In the opening round, Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen called the ice “sloppy” before taking aim at Prudential Center staff.
“I think their customer service probably will be pretty embarrassed to see that’s what they are putting out there for people to see,” he said. “If the ice is anything like it was this morning, it will make for a very sloppy game. No fun for the fans. A lot of water out there.”