The Rangers season got off to a strange start on Tuesday.
Ahead of the Rangers-Lighting opener at MSG — the first stateside game of the season — veteran referee Chris Rooney delivered an awkward welcome speech before dropping the puck that had NHL Twitter in hysterics.
“To our great players and great fans, welcome to opening night of the 2022-23 regular season,” Rooney said while standing at center ice. “What’s better than this? Good luck to all players. Let’s have a great season.”
Players from both teams awkwardly stood on the ice until Rooney dropped the puck. The unusual impromptu moment made for a memorable start to the 2022-23 season.
“Everything about this is funny,” one person tweeted. “From the dull delivery, the ‘what’s better than this,’ to Chris Rooney being called one of the best in the league. The NHL is back.”
“I cannot believe they made Chris Rooney do that,” another person tweeted. “I would have died if I was about to take the faceoff lol.”
One person said that they had “second hand embarrassment” for Rooney during his speech.
Others enjoyed Rooney’s pre-puck drop speech, with one person tweeting, “I need to hear Chris Rooney’s thoughts before every faceoff.”
It’s unclear how exactly Rooney’s speech came to fruition.
The Rangers defeated the Lightning, 3-1, in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2021-22 Eastern Conference finals. The Rangers visit the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.