NEW YORK—In a span of just over seven hours, two Badger athletes turned dreams into memories in the city that never sleeps.
After scoring 32 points to nearly single-handedly give the Badgers an overtime victory over Rutgers, Ethan Happ walked toward the locker room tunnel. The Wisconsin faithful roared for him to come back. Happ excitedly sprinted back onto the Madison Square Garden floor to a roaring ovation from the fans clad in Badger red.
Then, following a quick transition from hardwood to ice and a dramatic late comeback by Ohio State, Cameron Hughes pushed a game-winning overtime goal into the net. Elated, he skated to where Bucky Badger stood behind the MSG glass and jumped into the boards for a full body-slam with the furry Wisconsin mascot.
For Happ, his performance under the bright lights of the “World’s Most Famous Arena” felt a lot like just another basketball game. But the standing ovation he received when the final curtain dropped was something he won’t soon forget.
“At the end there, when you look around and you’re at MSG and you have so many great Badger fans that came all the way out or are in New York City that came to watch you, it’s really amazing how well we travel and how well the alumni support us,” Happ said. “So that was something special and I just savored the moment. It was kind of like a curtain call and whenever you can get a curtain call in MSG, I’m not gonna pass it up.”
In many ways, it was just another road trip for the basketball team. They flew out of Madison Friday, played in the early afternoon Saturday and left shortly after the game. After all, the Badgers played in the Garden last year in an early-season tournament, and the seniors on the team have played in Final Fours in AT&T Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium.
But it was a special trip for the hockey team, which was capped off by Hughes’ golden goal, who said that it ranks “pretty high” on his list of things he’s accomplished in his career.
“Overtime, parents were here, a family friend [was here]. I know my family is watching back home too, so it was pretty cool. Get a sweep, too. My first time in New York. The list goes on and on,” Hughes said.
Hours after defeating the Buckeyes Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio, the Badgers traveled to the Big Apple, with all of Friday to spend in the city. Senior defensemen Corbin McGuire, who grew up in Ridgefield, Conn., some 60 miles from New York City, acted as the unofficial tour guide for Wisconsin’s day.
But the highlight of his trip wasn’t showing his boys Times Square or the Empire State Building. It was coming out on top in a building where his childhood heroes took the ice.
“[McGuire] gave us a good speech in the [locker] room after. He was pretty fired up,” Hughes said. “It’s emotional for him. It’s his hometown. He was really proud of us.”
And it wasn’t just a special day for McGuire, who played for the Junior Rangers growing up and was coached by Rangers’ legend Mark Messier. Sophomore goalie Matt Jurusik played a stellar game between the pipes, denying opportunity after opportunity from Ohio State. It’s hard to tell from his steady play, but Jurusik was anxious at the beginning of the game.
“The first couple minutes of the first period you have a little nerves running through; you watch this arena on TV every night,” Jurusik said. “The great names that have played, especially for my side, having [Henrik] Lundqvist play here night-in and night-out. It’s a pretty surreal moment, stepping out there for the anthem.”
It was also a return for head coach Tony Granato, who came into the NHL with the New York Rangers in 1988, playing two seasons there. Granato still holds the Rangers’ record for most goals scored by a rookie, with 36.
“This building meant a lot to me. When you get your first crack in the NHL with an Original Six team, you get to play in New York in front of these fans, this community and this building, I was pretty lucky,” Granato said. “To come back here a long time after I was here, it’s special every time I come back.”
And even though he played a multitude of big games in the Garden, he recognized the weight of this moment for his players.
“They’ve watched a ton of games here. They know all the superstars that have come through this arena and all the big events that have happened here,” Granato said. “To walk into it and actually participate in a game—meaningful game—it was a special moment for them and I’m just happy to be here with them and be part of it, too.”
It was truly a “Super” Saturday for the Badgers. Both teams pulled out thrilling overtime wins. Happ had a Lebron James-like outing. The hockey team battled adversity to clinch a victory and its third-straight win over a Top 10 team.
Ten miles away from Madison Square Garden, the Yankees play baseball in the Bronx. When games finish, the fans stand and sing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
But Saturday, fans were singing a different tune. The sea of red that had made the trek to the city that never sleeps stood and proudly belted “Varsity” along with the UW Band after two bold Badger wins.
