New York Rangers fans should bottle magical Game 7 experience

You need to make the most of the good moments in life and New York Rangers fans should know this better than most.

After the front office sent out ‘The Letter’ and opted to tear it all down in 2018, the Blueshirts have had to be patient when it comes to seeing their team win and enjoy any meaningful success.

That’s why Sunday’s wild Game Seven should be bottled up and remembered by Rangers fans for a long, long time because, as we all know, good times don’t last and they don’t always come around all that often.

It wasn’t like the past few years were that hard going for those who flock to Madison Square Garden to worship their favorite team – Buffalo Sabres fans have had it a lot tougher – but you aren’t really supposed to go sustained periods without competing for the Stanley Cup if you are the Rangers.

That’s where ownership and the front office deserve credit because they saw something that wasn’t working, that had probably surpassed its peak and decided to do something about it, no matter how tough the decision.

And that decision is now paying off.

It led to Sunday night, too. With a talent-laden and exciting young core in place, backed up by a strong group of veterans with more studs on the way thanks to a rebuilt and now deep and loaded farm system, the Rangers are built to win now and the first real year of their window was special.

This team passed the 100-point threshold, Igor Shesterkin was arguably the best goalie in the NHL, Adam Fox continued his ascension as an elite No. One defenseman, the kids developed and took big strides forward, Chris Kreider morphed into the goal machine he’s long teased and Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin both had big years too.

Then came the playoffs.

It wasn’t easy and the Rangers didn’t play their best hockey, particularly in Game Seven, but they got the job done against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that are battle-hardened and know how to win in the postseason. Their core has been there, done it and got three rings to show for it.

However, Gerard Gallant’s team developed a key ingredient this year that any legit Stanley Cup contender and indeed any future champion needs – heart.

Down 3-1 in the series and trailing in Games Five, Six and Seven, the Rangers became the first team in Stanley Cup Playoff history to come from behind and win three consecutive elimination games in the same series.

That’s proof positive that this team possesses the substance as well as the style, and you can’t win in the postseason without the kind of grit, toughness, fight and determination that the Rangers displayed throughout Round One.

And it all culminated in a wild Game Seven that saw the Penguins twice go ahead only for Zibanejad to make it a tied game late in the third period, before Panarin came up clutch with the game-winner in Overtime.

That magic moment sparked the kind of celebrations that Ranger fans have been dying to break out, and you could sense in every game on home ice that Madison Square Garden was more than ready for a memorable night that belongs in the postseason.

The World’s Most Famous Arena certainly got that in Game Seven and it is a night, and indeed a series, that Ranger fans won’t soon forget and nor should they.

It was a game and a series that reminded us all of why we pledge our allegiance to this team, why we live and die with the Blueshirts and it was very much a reward for the patience shown by everyone over the past few years.

Of course, all focus will now be on the Second Round and, while the Carolina Hurricanes are an absolute wagon and will be a much tougher out than Pittsburgh, the Rangers have proved they’ve got the mindset and the mentality needed to make a deep run.

No matter what happens, though, Ranger fans need to enjoy Game Seven and they also need to soak up this postseason experience forever how long it lasts because, as they well know, these kind of moments aren’t guaranteed and they could be gone tomorrow.