New York Rangers: Latest step in new era taken as Shesterkin fever arrives

If you were at Madison Square Garden or at home watching, all New York Rangers fans felt butterflies in their stomachs on Tuesday night.

With the potential future goaltender of the franchise taking the first steps in what many predict will be a long and success-laden career in the NHL, there was a palpable sense of excitement surrounding the New York Rangers.

After much debate about a potential three-headed goaltending monster and speculation about which goalie would be sacrificed, all of that noise evaporated last night as the latest step in this exciting new era of Rangers hockey was taken.

Igor Shesterkin, the true heir apparent to “The King,” was introduced to a hyped Rangers crowd at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

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MSG has played host to a plethora of jaw-dropping moments and many a great has walked through the hallowed halls before going on to create history.

And maybe, just maybe, we will look back on Jan. 7, 2020, as the moment that birthed a Hall of Fame career featuring a boatload of championships and accolades.

Okay, let’s not get too carried away here but you can’t get away from the fact that we witnessed yet another defining moment in the rich history of this storied franchise on Tuesday night.

Because, as great as Alexandar Georgiev has been, and he’s been elite at times, many have looked at Shesterkin as being the true goalie of the future for the Rangers.

Father time catches up with us all, sadly, and Henrik Lundqvist is now closer to the end of his career, so now seems sense to start preparing to hand the torch over.

Enter Igor Shesterkin.

After tearing the AHL apart with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the powers that be came to a decision that now was the time to unleash Shesterkin on the wider hockey world.

It sparked mass speculation on social media that a trade was imminent, and maybe we are now seeing the last days of Georgiev.

That is indeed a possibility but the bottom line is that Shesterkin deserved an opportunity to showcase his talents on the big stage, and the franchise was right to give it to him.

But, for now at least, let’s focus on the latest chapter in this rebuild that presented us with another moment to truly cherish.

From making the traditional rookie lap on his own to warmups, all eyes were on Shesterkin as he prepared for his moment in the spotlight against one of the NHL’s elite.

And, for those of us who were either not around or can’t quite remember Lundqvist’s debut for the Rangers, we finally got to feel what those before us felt on that night against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 8, 2005.

Because, while Lundqvist didn’t arrive on the scene to maybe the same amount of fanfare as Shesterkin has, The King certainly finished a debut that started out as uneventful with a fair amount of believers.

It was still nothing compared to the hype surrounding Shesterkin, of course, who is seen as the second coming to Lundqvist and his call-up to the NHL created quite the stir, thus setting the stage for his first taste of NHL action.

It was glorious.

Well, maybe apart from the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game. Because, for a brief moment, we all had our hearts in our mouth as the nightmare of Shesterkin’s debut making the headlines for all the wrong reasons threatened to become reality.

Maybe it was the sheer magnitude of the moment, or maybe it was the fact that a gifted team that looks set to contend for years was in town.

Shesterkin was beat with the first shot he faced and he also couldn’t keep out the third shot against him as Nathan MacKinnon attempted to remind the rookie who the real young stud on the block was.

However, and almost as if the young Russian needed to go through some early adversity in order to settle himself down, Shesterkin soon settled into his groove and proceeded to give those inside MSG a tantalizing taste of what could be to come over the next decade or so.

From springing a breakout pass to Kaapo Kakko to regaining his composure and allowing just one more goal on 32 shots from the league’s most potent offense, Shesterkin began to look at home.

Then the chants started. As MSG erupted into “Igor…Igor…Igor” we were all transported back to when Lundqvist did a lap around Madison Square Garden with the Rangers faithful screaming his name.

So, it was almost perfect symmetry then that “The King” was on the bench to watch “The Prince” receive the same adulation.

It was also a poignant moment when the two embraced in the wake of Shesterkin’s first NHL win, like the past and future colliding in glorious harmony.

And, in an ideal scenario, Lundqvist will get the opportunity to mentor Shesterkin and guide his young protegee through the ups and downs of professional hockey before passing the torch for good.

That would be the perfect ending to a prestigious career that is just missing a Stanley Cup.

But, in the meantime, we will continue to bask in the hope and glory of Shesterkin glory as this rebuild gathers steam.

After all, Tuesday night was a moment five years in the waiting with the front office always holding high hopes for Shesterkin since drafting the goalie 118th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

In truth, the Rangers hierarchy will probably continue to nurture their asset and treat him with kid gloves, handling his transition to the big leagues with care while Lundqvist finishes his career where it all began.

And that is all fine by me.

Because, whatever happens throughout the rest of this crazy, roller coaster ride of a regular season, we have now been treated to the latest installment in this exciting new era of New York Rangers hockey.

All hail The King, long live The Prince.