OK, I’m done
The hiatus is over. I look forward to watching the red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs come to town, riding a 15-game point streak with an 11-0-4 record. Which New York Rangers team will we see? I have absolutely no idea.
But a loss to the Maple Leafs won’t be so bad, having suffered through the misery of the Islanders’ four straight Stanley Cups, the seven-year playoff drought, and the playoffs disappointments of the Lundqvist era.
It’s okay to be a pessimist if you are a Rangers fan. My god, with one Stanley Cup in 81 seasons, you have to be. But if you are a Ranger fan you have hope and you live for the great memories. A short list includes Gretzky’s run to the ECF in 1997, Stepan’s Game 7 OT goal over Washington, the 2014 run to the Final, Herbie Brooks’s smurfs beating the Flyers in 1983, and many, many more.
The Blueshirts added a few great moments to their history last season. All we can hope is that they find a way to do it again. And in a salary cap era in a highly competitive NHL, it won’t be easy. But please, if they don’t make the playoffs or lose in the First Round, don’t say “I told you so.” That’s not being a Ranger fan.
And again, right now, the Rangers are in the playoffs.