"Potvin sucks!"

On February 25, 1979, in a game between the Rangers and Islanders, Denis Potvin of the Islanders delivered a hip check to Rangers' center Ulf Nilsson. Nilsson suffered a broken ankle on the play, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

The play was generally regarded as clean. Rangers coach Fred Shero said of the hit, "It was a hard check, but you can't penalize a guy for hitting hard."Regardless, Rangers fans never forgave Potvin for it and created the "Potvin sucks" chant, wherein they punctuate the song "Let's Go Band" with "Potvin sucks!".

Initially, the fans responded when the song was played on the Garden organ, but since the mid-1980s, Garden management has refused to play it at Rangers games. As a result, the fans whistle or hum the tune themselves to set up the chant.

Rangers fans engage in the chant multiple times at every home game regardless of the opponent.