I’m back. For the longest period in over 40 years, I didn’t watch a single entire New York Rangers hockey game. The hiatus began after I watched the Blueshirts drop a 3-2 decision to the Red Wings on November 6, a game that I watched via VPN in a hotel room in Jakarta, Indonesia starting at 7 am. It ended with the team’s 4-3 OT win over the Devils Monday night, a game I had recorded on my DVR as I flew from Dubai Monday night.
Even better, I spent over three weeks on a tall ship sailing across the Indian Ocean, so I had NO idea about what was going on in the world as we had no internet or cell service. The Norwegian sailing ship did have satellite connectivity but they posted news sparingly and mostly about the World Cup.
Once I reach dry land (Mauritius) I got back in contact with the world and was able to watch the full recaps on NHL.com for each of the 16 games I missed. It was a great opportunity to get some perspective on this wacky season and the trials and tribulations of the Rangers. Some observations.
It’s been a roller coaster
The Rangers went 8-6-2, not bad, but for the fact that the record featured some truly awful efforts. I was truly happy that I didn’t see those blown leads to the Islanders, Devils, and Oilers. Similarly, losing to teams like the Ducks and Blackhawks must have been a reason for calling the suicide hotline.
It was fascinating working my way through the 12 games when I had no connectivity. They went 5-5-2 in that span and each game was a mystery. It was a roller coaster with the Rangers defying expectations in every game. To their credit, just when I thought they were about to go into a tailspin, they pulled out a win and this latest winning streak is a reason for optimism.