Far from just the home of the currently beleaguered New York Knicks, Madison Square Garden has been the setting where other unforgettable spectacles were held.
Join us as we run down the 10 most significant events from MSG to further highlight just how huge of an impact the timeless arena has been for the citizens of the Big Apple and American pop-culture history in general.
The Top 10 Greatest Moments in Madison Square Garden
10. Pope John Paul II: Rock Star
A year after being named the next figurehead of the Catholic church at the 1978 Papal conclave, Pope John Paul II scheduled a visit to New York to host a youth rally.
What the newly-ordained pope didn’t expect from the audience at Madison Square Garden was the reception he’d receive, as kids of all ages greeted the arrival of the biggest religious “celebrity” of their time with fevered intensity.
The cheers were so deafening that Pope John Paul II couldn’t even begin his program proper until the crowd simmered down several minutes later. Beatlemania this wasn’t, but the celebrated visit by his holy eminence certainly felt like it was.
9. Linsanity
Poor higher-up management and overall play on the court has pretty much been the norm for the Knicks organization for the better part of the new millennium. However in 2012, the entire Knicks fandom received a much-needed spark in the most unlikeliest of forms: Jeremy Lin.
The Asian-American point guard took the league by storm by basically carrying the Knicks midway through that year’s season, becoming the first NBA player to score at least 20 points and dish out seven assists in his first five starts.
One of Lin’s finest performances in those five starts came at MSG, wherein he and the Knicks took on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Lin would go on to score a career-high 38 points capped-off with a dagger three-pointer to seal the win for New York, stealing Kobe’s thunder for at least one evening and officially jump-starting the short-lived Linsanity era.
8. Wrestlemania X
Regardless of your personal view on professional wrestling, there’s no denying the grandeur that the WWE brings to the table. It also happens that Madison Square Garden has been the chosen venue for numerous WWE events, none bigger than Wrestlemania itself.
The 10th installment of the program’s “Super Bowl” was held at the Garden and is considered as one of the best Wrestlemanias of all time, with Bret “The Hitman” Hart wrestling two matches: the first being a fan-favorite bout between his late brother Owen and the other being a rather lackluster main event with Hart winning the World Heavyweight title over defending champion, Yokozuna.
But above all else, Wrestlemania X was where the second and arguably the best-ever ladder match took place, with “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels emerging victorious over Razor Ramon to be crowned the new and undisputed Intercontinental Champion.
7. Kobe Makes MSG History
We considered including Michael Jordan’s 55-point game on this list, but one player that has been long-compared to His Airness deserves this slot even more, especially considering that MJ left the sport to pursue a career in baseball only to return and dominate the league once more.
In turn, we ultimately decided to give the most-prolific scoring performance at the Garden to Kobe Bryant, whose 61-point explosion in February of 2009 remains a record at the arena that has yet to be broken. And unlike Jordan, Kobe played all 20 seasons of his time in the NBA without pause, and he even accomplished this very feat near the twilight of his career.
Fret not, New Yorkers; this is the last downer of an entry in this here feature. We just couldn’t exclude this milestone from the Black Mamba, which we’re pretty certain that the fans in MSG couldn’t help but be in awe of that fateful night.
6. Sextuple Overtime
Prior to Kobe going supernova on the Knicks, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament staged a drag-out battle to remember of their own at the Garden just a month prior that same year.
Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange squared off against Jim Calhoun’s Connecticut Huskies in the quarterfinal stage of the Big East Tournament, which ended up becoming the longest game in conference history. Syracuse needed six overtimes (!) to beat UConn, 127-117, with the game lasting past 1:00 AM Eastern Time.
Although the Orange didn’t win the Big East title nor the national championship that season, this marathon of a contest remains as a truly impressive showcase in college basketball lore.
5. The Great Retirement
The Knicks may be the real toast of the town, but the Rangers of the NHL have had their fair share of moments in the spotlight themselves. One such historical event at MSG was the retirement of Wayne Gretzky.
Gretzky played the majority of his hockey career for the Oilers and the Kings, but he did spend his final three seasons with the Blueshirts. No. 99 fittingly retired from the sport in 1999, with fans at the Garden witnessing a classy send-off for one of the greatest athletes of all-time that no other major sport in the US can match.
Not only did Gretzky have his number retired at the rafters of Madison Square Garden that evening, but the rest of the NHL’s teams also honored the “The Great One” by retiring his number high above their respective arenas just the same thereafter.
4. The Concert of All Concerts for a Cause
In the wake of the terrorist attacks at New York’s World Trade Center in 2001 – more commonly referred to as simply “9/11” – the city and America as a whole were gravely stricken by fear and loss of innocent lives.
In October 20, Paul McCartney organized the “Concert for New York City” to pay tribute to those who have passed away and the unwavered service from New York’s police and fire departments. What resulted was a star-studded concert that featured musical greats of past (David Bowie, Elton John, Rolling Stones) and present (Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, Backstreet Boys).
There were also short films – courtesy of New York’s finest cinematic auteurs in Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Spike Lee – paying homage to the undying spirit of New Yorkers and the US populace in general. The peformances were not only memorable, but the event as a whole showed exactly how America can rise from the ashes of such a tragedy with glowing positivity and support from the biggest names in the world of entertainment.
3. Blueshirts Reign Supreme
By 1994, the New York Rangers haven’t hoisted Lord Stanley’s trophy for over half a century. That title drought came to an end that very year with a thrilling 3-2 victory in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals over the Vancouver Canucks. The Blueshirts’ three standouts, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and Adam Graves, each scored a goal in that winner-take-all showdown and was also complemented by a fantastic effort from goalie Mike Richter.
There have been few Rangers teams since that could match the starpower and prowess of that 1994 squad, and it’s a shame that Messier and his boys didn’t get enough recognition for their win because Game 7 virtually coincided with the OJ fiasco.
2. The Fight of the Century
Muhammad Ali was an unstoppable force in the boxing ring during the 70s, so it came as quite a shock that his 31-fight win streak came to an end at none other than MSG against Joe Frazier in 1971. That’s not to take away anything from Smokin’ Joe, as his win over The People’s Champion would cement his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time parallel to his rival.
Many of the sport’s pundits still herald Ali vs. Frazier I as the best boxing match in history. This slugfest had it all: crushing blows, dazzling footwork, and non-stop jawing from both competitors. No wonder they dubbed this slugfest as “The Fight of the Century” even before the bell rang.
1. “Here Comes Willis!”
The first taste of glory is always the sweetest, and that sentiment definitely holds true for the 1969-70 New York Knicks, who waited for over two decades before becoming NBA champions.
What made the Knicks’ maiden title victory all the more special – apart from their series against the Los Angeles Lakers going the full seven-game distance – was how league MVP Willis Reed mustered every ounce of determination to play in the do-or-die Game 7 despite him nursing a severe thigh injury.
As it turned out, Reed only pitched in four points coming from his first two shots taken in the opening quarter. He’d then leave the game before halftime, but not before limiting Los Angeles’ Wilt Chamberlain on defense to just 2-of-9 from the field. Walt Frazier then took over the Knicks’ reins by scoring 36 points and racking up 19 assists.
Elation echoed through the Five Boroughs following New York’s 113-99 win, yet we’re still left to wonder what would become of this Knickerbocker gang if not for Reed’s valiant display of grit and heart when his team needed it most.
