Tuesday saw the NHL kick off the 2022-2023 season with intriguing Opening Night games in New York and Los Angeles. One referee, Chris Rooney, decided to (or was forced?) mark the occasion with a little bit of an extra unnecessary something before the start of the Rangers (-1.5) and Lightning’s matchup.
Before Rooney dropped the puck to let New York and Tampa Bay get officially rolling, he delivered a welcome speech. Actually, saying it was just a “speech” would be underselling the stunt. Rooney delivered a stilted welcome speech that felt as if he was reading directly off a teleprompter script without changing much of his tone or enunciation.
