Knicks and Rangers followers cried foul Thursday over the potential of shifting Madison Sq. Backyard as a part of the deliberate redevelopment of Penn Station.
“I wouldn’t need them to maneuver the Backyard. I've an excessive amount of nostalgia,” mentioned Mike Stanisz, 49, of Toms River, N.J.
“I’m a giant Ranger fan and I’ve been watching them on the Backyard for 30 years. I normally include my spouse and my two boys, aged 12 and 13. It’s all I’ve ever identified.”
Stanisz, an NJ Transit practice conductor, additionally famous that “they simply upgraded every part — it seems like a model new enviornment.”
“It could be such a waste of cash to maneuver it,” he mentioned.
The staunch opposition emerged throughout interviews outdoors the Backyard or inside Penn Station and was prompted by Mayor Eric Adams’ shock announcement that he’d be “open” to relocating “The World’s Most Well-known Area,” which sits atop the rail terminal.
“The Penn Station venture is an important one,” he mentioned Tuesday at a Crain’s New York Enterprise “Energy Breakfast” occasion.
“I feel that space is ripe for housing, is ripe for actual funding.”
Hizzoner additionally joked that shifting the famed sports activities and leisure venue would possibly “assist the Knicks win” once more after racking up eight shedding seasons throughout the previous 9.
Matt Castro-Giovanni, 18, mentioned he’d “be pissed off in the event that they tore down Madison Sq. Backyard.”
“I’m a giant Rangers fan. Dropping MSG can be fairly annoying,” the Massapequa, Lengthy Island resident mentioned.
“I see a sport at MSG as soon as a month. I adore it.”
Brad Moser, 49, mentioned, “Penn Station must be redeveloped however the Backyard ought to keep proper the place it's.”
“I’m a Knicks fan,” the Park Ridge, N.J., resident mentioned.
“The primary live performance I ever noticed was on the Backyard — it was Billy Joel and I used to be 14 in 1986. My complete lifetime, the Backyard has at all times been right here.”
Representatives of MSG proprietor James Dolan haven’t returned repeated requests for touch upon Adams’ remarks.
Dolan’s 10-year working allow for the Backyard is about to expire subsequent yr.
When the Backyard’s preliminary, 50-year allow expired in 2013, Dolan sought a everlasting extension and he’s anticipated to do the identical factor once more, a supply accustomed to the matter advised The Put up final yr.
Dolan hasn’t publicly expressed any curiosity in shifting the Backyard however he reportedly held secret talks about relocating to the Hudson Yards growth on Manhattan’s West Aspect till Gov. Kathy Hochul obtained concerned and killed the plan.
Some passers-by who spoke to The Put up on Thursday have been keen to think about a brand new location.
East Village resident Brian Barr, a 26-year-old Massachusetts transplant, mentioned he goes to the world to cheer on the Boston Bruins towards the Rangers.
“I might not thoughts in the event that they moved it elsewhere as a result of this space’s arduous to get to,” he mentioned.
“It’s congested and it’s a multitude more often than not.”
Wealthy Bean, a 49-year-old software program gross sales employee from Hoboken, N.J., additionally mentioned he wasn’t “connected to the world, per se.”
“In the event that they have been capable of construct a brand new station close by and pay for a greater Penn it may very well be good,” he mentioned.
Sports activities fan Duncan MacKenzie of Albany, who was visiting the Massive Apple for Thursday night time’s match-up between the Yankees and their arch-rival Boston Pink Sox, mentioned, “I wouldn’t be dissatisfied if Madison Sq. Backyard was demolished and moved.”
“I’ve seen hockey video games there and Billy Joel one time,” he mentioned.
“There’s nothing magical about the place Madison Sq. Backyard is positioned.”
Further reporting by Bernadette Hogan
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