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Ex-Rangers Kreider, Trouba ready for return to Garden with Ducks
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- Ex-Rangers Kreider, Trouba ready for return to Garden with Ducks
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Chris Kreider 's 13 seasons with the New York Rangers never involved dealing with which door the visiting team at Madison Square Garden uses to get on the ice. That's why he needed directions when his new team, the Anaheim Ducks , hit the ice for their morning skate prior to their game against the Blueshirts on Monday night.
"No," he told the assembled media when asked if he'd ever been in the visitors' locker room, then nodded when asked if he needed to be shown the door the visitors use to take the ice at the Garden.
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Kreider's 912th NHL game will be the first at MSG as a member of the visiting team. The Rangers traded him to Anaheim in June for forward prospect Carey Terrance and a swap of draft picks.
He's not sure how emotional it will be to step on the Garden ice wearing another team's sweater for the first time.
"I don't know," he said. "Trying to go on with no expectations and just get ready to play a hockey game. But it's a passionate fan base. It's a place that I've spent the majority of my life, so I'm sure it'll be emotional for me. To what extent, I don't know. I'm just trying to worry about the here and the now."
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One thing that has helped him adapt to his new surroundings is the presence of three former teammates – forwards Frank Vatrano , center Ryan Strome and defenseman Jacob Trouba . The Rangers traded Trouba, their captain, to Anaheim last December; he's also making his first visit to the Garden since the deal.
"It's made the transition easier," he said. "Having Jacob there, having Frank, Stromer – that familiarity certainly helps. The entire group's been great."
Ex-Rangers Kreider, Trouba ready for return to the Garden
Kreider's 326 goals are third in Rangers history; his 48 playoff goals are first and he's tied for the franchise record with 116 power-play goals. But the Rangers let him go after he dropped to 22 goals and 30 goals last season while battling injuries and illness.
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But Kreider is healthy this year, and his scoring touch has returned. The 34-year-old has 1 3 goals and 20 points in 28 games for Anaheim, which is second in the Pacific Division and trying to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.
"It's great to be truly healthy," he said.
He also paid tribute to the fans who supported him during his 13 seasons in New York.
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"I think it's hard to express my appreciation for all the support we had over all those years, over all those runs," he said. "It's an amazing building; it's the most famous building in the world, right? But it's a building. The fans are what makes it a special place. Just being out there this morning, pregame skating on that ice, it's cool.
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"But it's an empty building; at the end of the day, it's the fans that make it what it is. It's hard to put into words my gratitude and appreciation for the support and the passion over all those years."
The Rangers undoubtedly will give Kreider a video tribute, and he can expect an ovation from the fans who cheered him on in New York.
So, will he watch the video?
"I don't know how the angle is from that (visitors) bench; probably. What am I going to do – stare at my shoes," he said with a laugh. "I don't know. I'll let you know after it happens."
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The Rangers kept Kreider in the loop after deciding to trade him. Trouba's departure wasn't as amicable, but he said Monday that he preferred to think of the good times with the Blueshirts rather than his departure.
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"I didn't enjoy it in the moment, but it's just a small piece of what was a very, very memorable and impactful 5 1/2 years for me," he said. "That's not the moment I focus on."
Trouba faced his former team in Anaheim on March 28, when the Ducks rallied for a 5-4 win. But this is his first visit to the arena he called home for five-plus seasons.
"You don't know exactly how you're going to feel," he said of coming back to the Garden. "It was pretty good for me. I went downtown, back by my apartment, last night and walked around. That one got me a little bit. It'll be fun being back here tonight."
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