Ref Chris Rooney had the most awkward, unnecessary speech before dropping the puck for Rangers-Lightning

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.

Regardless of any Opening Night festivities, it was as awkward and unnecessary as it sounds:

“What’s better than this?” he said with no change to voice whatsoever.

Honestly, Rooney is delivering less of a “speech” and more of a “press release” that he may or may not have practiced much, too.

Why Rooney or the NHL powers that be felt this had to be included, I don’t know. What I do know is that it was positively hilarious for the sheer awkwardness alone — especially as the surrounding Rangers and Lightning players stared on in silence, waiting for him to finish.

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.