Blueshirts fans took over Bryant Park Wednesdayevening during the first official “Rangerstown,” an outdoor festival and viewing party to watch the Rangers face off against the Los Angeles Kings for their first chance to win the Stanley Cup in 20 years.
Hundreds streamed into the park for giveaways, face painting and a chance to meet former Rangers players, all leading up to Game 1 at 8 p.m..
Cecilia Fulton, 48, had set up a picnic blanket at the very front of the viewing area for her family.
“We definitely got here early,” the accountant from Hollis, Queens — decked out in a Rangers T-shirt — said. “This is a family affair for us.”
Fans stood in line to meet Rangers great Glenn Anderson and to have their game faces painted on.
Jim Hines, 43, an account executive at an advertising firm, stood in line for a kids hockey clinic with his 7-year-old daughter, Ashley, who wore a full face of blue, red and white makeup. Hines, who lives on the Upper East Side, said his daughter wouldn’t be fazed by the other kids in line.
“She’s tough,” he said. “Just like her dad.”
Jake Butner, 72, a retired store owner from Carroll Gardens, came to the viewing party along with his wife.
“I’ve been a fan forever. Right now I’m just looking forward to seeing how [goalie Henrik] Lundqvist performs,” he said.
Tim Whitmere, 26, a software developer who lives in Williamsburg, said he inherited his tried-and-true Rangers loyalty from his parents.
“I was a kid the last time we won this,” he said. “But I remember that, and I’ll remember this forever, too.”
