6/3/2014
By Emily Ngo and Ivan Pereira
Mayor Bill de Blasio predicted Tuesday “tremendous success” for the Rangers as they begin the Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings, saying he is “working out the elaborate terms of a bet” with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“It’s a bet he will have to honor, and I’m going to win,” he said yesterday.
Garcetti earlier this week said his wager with de Blasio will be a “doozy” and warned, “I’m coming after you, Bill.”
De Blasio, a Massachusetts-raised fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, didn’t say whether he cheers for the Blueshirts. But he expressed confidence in the team.
“Coming from the East Coast as I do, I have a special respect for the teams that were original and early in the NHL experience, and the Rangers certainly have an incredibly rich history,” he said. “So the Rangers are going to win this. You can take that to the bank.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also put his “money” on the hometown team.
He and California Gov. Jerry Brown made a wager in which the loser would give the winner a gift.
If the Rangers fall, Brown will get a commemorative hockey puck and a New York-themed gift basket. If they prevail, Cuomo gets a California history book and brown rice cakes.
“Given the tough, New York-resilient spirit with which the Rangers have advanced through the playoffs so far, I am wagering big on the Broadway Blueshirts,” Cuomo said in a statement.
