Looking back on that fairy tale day in July, 2019

Life is tough right now as the coronavirus crisis continues to spread, and having no New York Rangers hockey in our life makes it that little bit harder.

It has been nearly three weeks since the New York Rangers and the rest of the NHL went on lockdown due to COVID-19, although it has felt like forever.

Of course, our thoughts here at Blue Line Station are with all of those who have suffered due to this terrible virus, and the thousands upon thousands of brave, fantastic doctors and nurses who risk their own health on a daily basis in order to save others.

But, as we all know, sports is a great healer at times of strife and turmoil, so I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to revisit a golden moment in recent franchise history for the New York Rangers.

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• These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly

July 1, 2019.

The day Artemi Panarin came to The Big Apple.

It was a defining moment in the rich history of this storied franchise, placing the rebuild into turbocharge mode and putting the rest of the NHL on notice.

It was a day that many Blueshirts had been craving, a chance to really shout from the rooftops that you were a New York Rangers fan.

Now, and I may have mentioned this before on here, but I had a really personal experience with the Panarin news, and I want to re-share that with you all again.

So, for those of you who don’t know, I’m born and bred in England but I have been a huge New York Rangers and American sports fan for most of my teenage years and all of my adult life.

Nothing runs deeper than my passion for the Rangers and hockey, however.

Oh, and the Mets and Jets (yes, horrific choices I know.)

But the Rangers are my first love and Madison Square Garden is like my church.

Corny I know, but times like these make me appreciate those magical nights in the Garden watching my beloved Rangers even more.

Anyway, back to the story, I was on my way out to New York on one of my regular trips to The Big Apple on July, 1, 2019.

Having gone through airport security, always a drag, I grabbed a beer and some lunch and was digesting the huge moves from the NBA Free Agency the day before, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both going to the Nets.

As it was getting closer to board my flight, news started to filter through on Twitter that it was a three-horse race for Artemi Panarin’s signature between the Rangers, the Islanders and the Panthers.

Then, just as I had taken my seat, I got the bombshell that I really didn’t want to hear.

The Islanders were close to landing the prize of free agency and were primed to rub the Blueshirts’  noses in it in the process.

Now, for anyone who knows me or who reads my articles, I am deeply invested in the Rangers and this news shook me to my very core.

It wasn’t a fun nine-hour flight, I can assure you.

Already in a bad mood at the very thought of seeing Panarin strut his stuff for those lot on the Island, my day continued to go from bad to worse after seeing the absolute hordes of people going through customs at JFK.

Great.

So, not going anywhere fast, I switched my phone back on fully anticipating and dreading the ‘Welcome to the Islanders, Breadman’ posts I felt sure would have engulfed social media by that point.

Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised and filled with euphoric joy when that absolute beauty of a Tweet from one of the many NHL Insiders greeted me:

Artemi Panarin had agreed terms with the New York Rangers.

YES!

I couldn’t help but execute a poor attempt of a fist pump right in the middle of customs, no doubt angering those squashed up around me who were in no mood for such frivolities.

However, no amount of disgusted looks were going to dampen my mood that night, even if it did take three hours to get through customs, get my suitcase and then finally clamber into a cab in an exhausted but jubilant mood.

They had done it. The Rangers had signed the big-name, big-ticket superstar this franchise so craved and so needed.

They had fought off the big dollars and the lure of Coach Q and the attempts from the Islanders to bring the most-sought after free agent in the NHL that year to Broadway.

And it felt so, so, so sweet.

Over the next few days I took absolute joy in seeing the Rangers splashed all over The New York Post after winning free agency, while getting one over on the Islanders who took great joy in rubbing their postseason success in our faces.

I may even have partaken in a game of ‘Spot The Breadman’ too, although to no avail.

And, yes, I did invest in a new Panarin jersey.

Those were heady days and it felt great to be a Ranger fan again with the hockey world paying full attention to what was unfolding at MSG.

We all had high expectations of Panarin and the year to come but, being brutally honest, both player and team have completely surpassed my hopes for this season.

We all know the story but Panarin has been even better than advertised if that is possible, putting up 32 goals and 63 assists for 95 points in 69 games, while spearheading the Blueshirts’ unlikely push for the playoffs.

Of course, we may never know how this season was meant to unfold and Panarin will likely be denied in his bid to reach the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career.

But, in uncertain times such as these, it is important to reflect on that magical July day in 2019 when new life was breathed into a franchise, while holding out hope for the future.

Because, with Artemi Panarin on board, the New York Rangers look destined for a return to dominance and glory in the NHL.

And that tantalizing thought is something we can all cling to right now.