Madison Square Garden, one of the world’s most famous arenas, will be the center of New York sports this spring.

Because for the first time in a decade, the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks are in the playoffs at the same time.

What You Need To Know

  • The Rangers and the Knicks have both made it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-2013 season

  • For the first time since 1994, all three area hockey teams and both basketball teams have made the playoffs

  • Madison Square Garden will host home playoff games for both teams

"If you are a sports fan in New York there is no better  place to be than the world's most famous arena during the post season,” said Kenny Albert, a long time radio and TV announcer for both the Rangers and the Knicks.

He remembers what it was like inside MSG 10 years ago during the last dual playoff run, and nearly 30 years ago when both teams made it to their league's respective finals.

The Rangers winning the Stanley Cup, the Knicks falling just short of an NBA title.

"It was 90 degrees outside and it seemed like there was a game here just about every night. It was such an incredible atmosphere. I've never heard the building louder,” Albert said.

Lifelong Ranger fan Liz Galvin knows playoff hockey at Madison Square Garden really well.

"The environment surrounding Madison Square Garden is jumping for blocks and blocks there is nothing like it. Once you make it into the building you feel like you are with your family,” said Galvin.

The Galvin family has had season tickets nearly every season since 1978.

Every family member is also gifted a personalized jersey at birth. So MSG is a second home, and that means brining their playoff superstitions to row four in section 223.

"When it is 0-0 we have to hang one towel and after we score the first goal and its 1-nothing we hang another towel,” she said. “So you will see us over in section 223 hanging towels across the glass. And of course, when we are home for away games we do the same thing."

The Rangers have made several deep playoff runs over the last ten years, but Knicks fans have been deprived of a long post season.

Former Knicks shooting guard, John Starks, knows what it is like to play in the post season at Madison Square Garden and said it’s the fans that make MSG so special.

"I played in other arenas, I played on other teams but nothing compares to Knicks fans. The knowledge that they have, the passion that they have,” he said.

In honor of the playoffs coming home, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. launched its “Fan First” program.

Knicks and Rangers fans signed up for the program last month March and received early access to Round 1 playoff tickets for home games at the original price.

The goal of the program is to prevent fans from paying inflated prices in the secondary ticket market.

Fans can continue to apply for the “Fan First” program and the opportunity to purchase tickets for subsequent playoff rounds by visiting knicks.com/fanfirst or nhl.com/rangers/fanfirst.