The House that Ruth Built is on track to be the house the Rangers bring down.
As the current Rangers continue to drive down the stretch of this season, what is shaping up as a historic 2008-09 schedule now is expected to include a game at Yankee Stadium.
Momentum has built in recent weeks toward finalizing a deal that would have the Rangers play the final game in the storied history of the current Stadium, the Daily News has learned. The Yankees, who will move into their new Yankee Stadium for the 2009 baseball season, are said to be completely on board with having the NHL close the 85-year-old original.
And, anxious to build upon the buzz created by the wildly successful Winter Classic outdoor game between Pittsburgh and Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year's Day, NBC and the NHL are intent upon seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. League and network representatives visited the Stadium recently to get an on-site view of what would need to be done to stage the event.
"It's something we've spoken both to the Yankees and to the city about," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The News. "But it's not a done deal. There are still other possibilities and a lot of moving pieces."
The Rangers' opponent for the game, while not yet set, appears unlikely to be either the Islanders or the Devils. That is because both the network and the league believe it would generate greater ratings to include a team from another U.S. television market. The Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings are believed to be likely candidates in a game that would be a nod to the NHL's fabled Original Six roots.
Of course, representatives from the league's other American-based Original Six franchise, the Chicago Blackhawks, recently made it clear that they are extremely interested in hosting an outdoor game. However, the chance to close Yankee Stadium clearly pushes New York and the Rangers to the front of NBC's and the NHL's wish lists for next winter.
"We've been working on this for two years and we're excited to be in the mix," Islanders VP/communications Chris Botta told The News, "because we know Islanders vs. Rangers at Yankee Stadium would be great for hockey."
