Madison Square Garden

Address:4 Penn Plz
New York, New York

Madison Square Garden, known as "The World's Most Famous Arena," is one of the most storied venues in all of sports. Located in the heart of Manhattan, the Garden has hosted some of the most memorable events in sports history. It has also seen some noteworthy concerts, political events, and theatrical presentations. Whether it's hockey, basketball, wrestling, boxing, tennis, or lacrosse, almost any sports fan will have a good reason to go to the Garden.

Four teams currently call MSG home. The National Basketball Association's New York Knicks and the National Hockey League's New York Rangers have been the Garden's primary teams for more than 50 years. In addition, the Garden has for some time now served as the home court of the Women's National Basketball Association New York Liberty, and (for most games) of the St. John's Red Storm men's college basketball team. The National Lacrosse League's New York Titans also play some home contests at the Garden.

Certainly, the Knicks and the Rangers have seen their share of memorable moments at Madison Square Garden. Injured center Willis Reed hobbled onto the court before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers to the raucous applause of the crowd, and led the Knicks to their first ever championship; the only one that they ever won at home. The Rangers' greatest hit at the Garden came on June 14, 1994, when they broke a 54-year championship drought by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

In addition to St. John's, MSG hosts a number of other major college basketball games during the course of the season. There are a few early-season tournaments that end at the Garden, as well as the Big East Conference Tournament after the regular season, and the final two rounds of the postseason National Invitational Tournament. In the past, MSG hosted 71 games in the NCAA Tournament, including seven national championship games, but has not hosted any since 1971.

Madison Square Garden has hosted numerous important tennis and pro wrestling matches over the years, including the inaugural Wrestlemania and Summerslam events. It was also the home of the National Football League Draft for many years, until 2005. Boxing has also been a big sport at the Garden. Big name boxers like Joe Louis, Roberto Duran, Joe Frazier, and Muhammad Ali have all fought there. While in recent years Las Vegas has replaced Madison Square Garden as "The Mecca of Boxing," important fights are still held at MSG from time to time.

MSG is more, however, than just a sports venue. There have been hundreds of major concerts held there, including the Concert for New York City after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Four Democratic National Conventions (most recently in 1992), as well as the 2004 Republican National Convention, have declared presidential candidates here. The Ringling Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey Circus also visits the Garden every year for a series of performances. In addition, the Garden also hosts graduations and private events.

In addition to its main arena, Madison Square Garden is also home to a smaller theater, which hosts concerts and boxing matches, and also hosted the NFL Draft when it still took place at the Garden. There is also a small convention hall, and two restaurants. Altogether, Madison Square Garden hosts more than 600 events a year, meaning there is rarely a day without any action.

The Garden itself is actually the fourth version of the arena, opening in 1968. The first incarnation opened in Madison Square, at 26th Street and Madison Avenue in 1879. The second opened on the same spot in 1890. The third, which opened in 1925, was on 50th Street and Eighth Avenue. The current MSG is located on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets. The main arena holds 18,000 fans for hockey and 19,763 for basketball. The theater holds anywhere from 2,000 to 5,600 people, depending on the event.

Madison Square Garden is accessible by car, bus, and the 1, 2, 3, A, C, and E subway lines. It is also easily reached by Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Railroad trains, because it is adjacent to, and on top of, Penn Station. All access tours are available every half hour between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day, and cost $17 for adults and $12 for children.