Rangers, Islanders honor police, firefighters during MetLife Stadium arrivals for Stadium Series

Military aircraft perform a flyover before an NHL Stadium Series hockey game between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The Rangers and Islanders made the most of their arrivals for Sunday’s Stadium Series, paying homage to local police officers and firefighters as they showed up to MetLife Stadium.

Dressed in blue NYPD and red FDNY sweaters, the Rangers rode up to the stadium on fire trucks behind old-timey police cars.

The players then walked into the stadium alongside members of the NYPD and FDNY hockey teams who were dressed in their service uniforms.

“I’m not sure whose idea it was, but I thought it came together great,” Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow said Sunday of the entrance. “It was great meeting those guys. Obviously, we all know what they do for our community and it was great to share that moment with them.”

The Islanders, too, showed up to MetLife in police cars and fire trucks from different Long Island departments. Those included stations in East Meadow, Commack and Greenlawn.

Islanders players did not don special sweaters to walk into the stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and instead wore suits.

“I want to say thank you to the policemen and the fire department for supporting us in this event,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said before Sunday’s game. “I think the players are very thrilled about this.”

The Rangers won, 6-5, in overtime, coming all the way back in a game they trailed 4-1 in the second period.

The win marked a season-high seventh in a row for the Rangers, who sit atop the Metropolitan Division at 36-16-3. The Islanders, meanwhile, lost their third in a row and fell to 22-18-14, good for fifth in the division.

The Rangers improved to 5-0 all-time in outdoor games, with one of the previous matchups coming in 2014 against the Islanders at Yankee Stadium. That 2-1 Rangers win marked the Islanders’ lone outdoor regular season game before Sunday’s. Neither team had played previously at MetLife Stadium.

Sunday’s game was the second of this weekend’s Stadium Series. The Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, on Saturday at MetLife.

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