Christmas countdown wish #5: A season

Merry Christmas to all Ranger fans throughout the world!   Our five day countdown has reached it’s last day and this one is the most important. All week, we have been counting down the last five days to Christmas and each day we’ve come up with a unique gift we’d like to see for our favorite hockey team. We’re not just asking Santa for these gifts. On prior days we’ve made requests to the NHL, the hockey gods, Chris Drury and some of our young stars.

Wish #1 was for the NHL to opt out of the Olympics and they obliged us as soon as we asked.  Wish #2 is for good health for the rest of the season.  We shall see if the hockey gods oblige.  Wish #3 was for Chris Drury, no matter the circumstances, to maintain sanity at the trade deadline. Our Christmas Eve wish #4 was for the young forwards on the team to finally break out and start scoring the way we thought they would.

That brings us to Christmas wish #5 and this one is for the hockey gods.  Can we please, please, please have a full season and playoffs?  We got a rude reminder of how volatile the COVID situation is when the NHL canceled the entire slate of games on Monday.

Here’s the official word from the NHL:  “The National Hockey League announced today that its regular-season schedule will not resume prior to Tuesday, Dec. 28. The League had planned to resume its schedule on Dec. 27, but in order to allow the League an adequate opportunity to analyze League-wide testing results and to assess Clubs’ readiness to play, the target date for resumption of game play will be pushed back an additional day. Teams will return to practice on Dec. 26 and it is expected that the League will provide an update on its return to play plans by the end of day on Sunday.”

The good news is that players will report to practice on Sunday as had been scheduled prior to this announcement.  The league is trying to figure out how much damage was caused by the Christmas holidays and if the league is facing a major outbreak.

Is it possible?

Is it possible that this season will go by the wayside and we will be done for the season?  A lot depends on the result of testing on Sunday.  It’s a moving target.

There is one positive.  With the Olympics opt out it opens up a number of days for teams to make up postponed games. One thing is certain, the NHL owners and players do not want a shutdown and the impact it will have on the bottom line.  It would be devastating.

Teams will have to be incredibly vigilant and they will have to obey the COVID rules to the letter. The Rangers have done a very good job with only Ryan Strome, Greg McKegg and Patrik Nemeth sidelined with the Protocol.

It’s important to remember that they haven’t canceled any games yet, just postponed them.

Our Christmas wish

This one is for you hockey gods.  Please do what you can to make sure that the New York Rangers can continue this fabulous, unexpected roller coaster ride of a season.  This 11-day  respite has been almost more than we can handle.

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas to all.